UPDATE:
A loaded gun brought to a Dauphin County school caused district officials to cancel a homecoming dance.
The move disappointed a lot of students, but the district has rescheduled the event.
Many students were upset that Friday’s homecoming dance for the
Middletown Area School District was postponed without many details being released
We now know the details of what happened.
The high school homecoming dance is rescheduled for Nov. 9.
The middle school dance has yet to have a confirmed reschedule date.
___________________________________________
The High School Homecoming Dance has been rescheduled to Friday, November 9, 2012.
The Middle School Homecoming Dance date will be determined after the DJ confirms his availability.
Letter sent to parents:
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with an update regarding the incident which took place at Middletown Area High School on Friday, October 12, 2012. In today’s world of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, rumors and false information circulate rapidly, often before official information can be provided. As of Friday evening, a police investigation was still in process, making it impossible to share any further information until it was released by the Lower Swatara Township Police Department. Now that the investigation has concluded, the Middletown Area School District wants to provide you with an update on the facts surrounding this situation.
During the change of classes between 7th and 8th periods on Friday, October 12th, a student witnessed another student removing a handgun from a heating vent in a boys’ High School lavatory. The gun was then placed into a backpack and the student departed the lavatory. The witness immediately reported the incident to a staff member, who notified the High School administration. Three (3) administrators, the District’s School Resource Officer, and the School Based Probation Officer went to the classroom in which the student possessing the gun was scheduled to be. Upon entering the classroom, they located the student, took him into custody, and took immediate possession of his backpack. This occurred without incident. When the student was secured in the principal’s office, the backpack was searched by the high school administration, and a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the backpack. The student was questioned by the administration and identified another student as being the owner of the weapon. The School Resource Officer took possession of the weapon and contacted Lower Swatara Township Police for back-up assistance. The administration and law enforcement officers immediately located the other student in class and took him into custody. These events occurred in a time period of approximately 10 - 15 minutes. The principal contacted the central office administration who immediately reported to the High School. Upon arrival, additional police officers were already on the scene.
After interviewing both students and searching their lockers and personal belongings, police shared with the administration that they believed it was safe to dismiss students normally at the conclusion of the school day, as they did not believe that any Middletown Area School District students were the target of anticipated violence. Both students involved in the incident were detained in separate administrative offices in the High School with police monitoring and were taken into police custody immediately after student dismissal was completed. The police officers on the scene remained at the High School exits during the student dismissal at 2:30 PM. An emergency faculty/staff meeting was held at 2:40 PM at the High School to debrief the employees on what had transpired.
Because the investigation into this incident was still ongoing Friday afternoon, the administration made the decision to cancel the Homecoming dances at the Middle School and High School which were scheduled for later that same evening on Friday, October 12, 2012. The District’s website and School Messenger system were activated at approximately 3:15 PM on Friday afternoon to inform parents of the incident and share news of the cancelled evening events. The dances will be rescheduled, and parents and students will be informed of the dates of the events by their building principals, pending confirmation of the availability of the disc jockeys.
The decision was made to continue with planned Homecoming festivities scheduled for Saturday, October 13, 2012, including a home football game to be played against Steelton-Highspire, the Homecoming parade, and the alumni dinner and program. The District worked with Middletown Borough Police Chief, Mark Hovan, to secure additional police coverage for the football game, and several District administrators were also present to monitor the football game and report any suspicious activity to the police on site. We are happy to report that all of Saturday’s Homecoming events proceeded without incident.
Over the weekend, the police released information via media outlets, while the administration prepared for students to return to school on Monday morning. A team of administrators, with support from law enforcement officials, conducted a thorough search of the High School over the weekend, which resulted in no additional weapons being found. Additionally, a brief assembly was planned to be held with the high school student body on the morning of Monday, October 15, 2012.
During the assembly, the High School Principal and Student Resource Officer debriefed the student body and faculty/staff on the events of Friday afternoon. Students were reassured that the alleged perpetrators were in custody and would be fully prosecuted for their actions. Additionally, increased safety measures were shared with students, including the weekend search of the building, and the additional measures being taken to ensure that all unused or unlocked lockers are secured. At no point during this assembly were any students blamed for the events of the preceding days; in fact, it was made clear that a tragedy may have been averted because one student made the right choice to immediately inform adults of an extremely dangerous situation. All students were directed in the future to share any information regarding threatening or dangerous situations with an adult such as a teacher,
guidance counselor, administrator, or law enforcement officer, so appropriate steps can be taken to investigate and/or respond to those reports. Students experiencing anxiety or fear related to recent events were also offered the services of guidance staff.
We sincerely hope that parents will take this opportunity to talk with their children about the importance of informing adults of potentially dangerous situations. The actions of one brave student to report a potentially dangerous situation can make a huge difference in preventing an incident from escalating into a tragedy.
I want to personally assure all parents/guardians and students, as well as employees, of the Middletown Area School District that we are fully committed to ensuring that every reasonable action is taken to protect our students and staff. We will be spending a considerable amount of time during the coming days and weeks reviewing this situation, examining our safety and security protocols and procedures, and engaging in conversations with experts regarding steps we should consider in the future to keep our staff and students safe in light of this recent event. The well-being of our students and staff is our greatest priority. This is not a task which we can accomplish without your assistance. Therefore, we extend an invitation to all students, parents, and staff to be part of the solution to this problem. Specifically, we ask that you communicate with school officials when information of a concerning nature is brought to your attention. You can be of tremendous assistance to us in protecting our students and staff. We thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and support during this difficult time.
In closing, I do not believe that the actions taken by the two students are reflective of the entire student body. We have many fine young men and women who come to school daily wanting to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available in the Middletown Area School District. We continue to take great pride in the many accomplishments of our students and hope that this unfortunate event, which has cast a negative light on the District, will soon be overshadowed by all the wonderful things that our students do on a regular basis. An example of this is the incredible talent displayed on Saturday evening at the alumni program when several of our High School students performed for members of the alumni association. Unfortunately, these are not the things that are typically front page headlines in our local media, but are still deserving of recognition and praise. Let’s continue to recognize the positive things that make Middletown Area School District a good place to be.
Sincerely yours,
Lori A. Suski, Ed.D.
Lori A. Suski, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
A loaded gun brought to a Dauphin County school caused district officials to cancel a homecoming dance.
The move disappointed a lot of students, but the district has rescheduled the event.
Many students were upset that Friday’s homecoming dance for the
Middletown Area School District was postponed without many details being released
We now know the details of what happened.
The high school homecoming dance is rescheduled for Nov. 9.
The middle school dance has yet to have a confirmed reschedule date.
___________________________________________
The High School Homecoming Dance has been rescheduled to Friday, November 9, 2012.
The Middle School Homecoming Dance date will be determined after the DJ confirms his availability.
Letter sent to parents:
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with an update regarding the incident which took place at Middletown Area High School on Friday, October 12, 2012. In today’s world of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, rumors and false information circulate rapidly, often before official information can be provided. As of Friday evening, a police investigation was still in process, making it impossible to share any further information until it was released by the Lower Swatara Township Police Department. Now that the investigation has concluded, the Middletown Area School District wants to provide you with an update on the facts surrounding this situation.
During the change of classes between 7th and 8th periods on Friday, October 12th, a student witnessed another student removing a handgun from a heating vent in a boys’ High School lavatory. The gun was then placed into a backpack and the student departed the lavatory. The witness immediately reported the incident to a staff member, who notified the High School administration. Three (3) administrators, the District’s School Resource Officer, and the School Based Probation Officer went to the classroom in which the student possessing the gun was scheduled to be. Upon entering the classroom, they located the student, took him into custody, and took immediate possession of his backpack. This occurred without incident. When the student was secured in the principal’s office, the backpack was searched by the high school administration, and a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the backpack. The student was questioned by the administration and identified another student as being the owner of the weapon. The School Resource Officer took possession of the weapon and contacted Lower Swatara Township Police for back-up assistance. The administration and law enforcement officers immediately located the other student in class and took him into custody. These events occurred in a time period of approximately 10 - 15 minutes. The principal contacted the central office administration who immediately reported to the High School. Upon arrival, additional police officers were already on the scene.
After interviewing both students and searching their lockers and personal belongings, police shared with the administration that they believed it was safe to dismiss students normally at the conclusion of the school day, as they did not believe that any Middletown Area School District students were the target of anticipated violence. Both students involved in the incident were detained in separate administrative offices in the High School with police monitoring and were taken into police custody immediately after student dismissal was completed. The police officers on the scene remained at the High School exits during the student dismissal at 2:30 PM. An emergency faculty/staff meeting was held at 2:40 PM at the High School to debrief the employees on what had transpired.
Because the investigation into this incident was still ongoing Friday afternoon, the administration made the decision to cancel the Homecoming dances at the Middle School and High School which were scheduled for later that same evening on Friday, October 12, 2012. The District’s website and School Messenger system were activated at approximately 3:15 PM on Friday afternoon to inform parents of the incident and share news of the cancelled evening events. The dances will be rescheduled, and parents and students will be informed of the dates of the events by their building principals, pending confirmation of the availability of the disc jockeys.
The decision was made to continue with planned Homecoming festivities scheduled for Saturday, October 13, 2012, including a home football game to be played against Steelton-Highspire, the Homecoming parade, and the alumni dinner and program. The District worked with Middletown Borough Police Chief, Mark Hovan, to secure additional police coverage for the football game, and several District administrators were also present to monitor the football game and report any suspicious activity to the police on site. We are happy to report that all of Saturday’s Homecoming events proceeded without incident.
Over the weekend, the police released information via media outlets, while the administration prepared for students to return to school on Monday morning. A team of administrators, with support from law enforcement officials, conducted a thorough search of the High School over the weekend, which resulted in no additional weapons being found. Additionally, a brief assembly was planned to be held with the high school student body on the morning of Monday, October 15, 2012.
During the assembly, the High School Principal and Student Resource Officer debriefed the student body and faculty/staff on the events of Friday afternoon. Students were reassured that the alleged perpetrators were in custody and would be fully prosecuted for their actions. Additionally, increased safety measures were shared with students, including the weekend search of the building, and the additional measures being taken to ensure that all unused or unlocked lockers are secured. At no point during this assembly were any students blamed for the events of the preceding days; in fact, it was made clear that a tragedy may have been averted because one student made the right choice to immediately inform adults of an extremely dangerous situation. All students were directed in the future to share any information regarding threatening or dangerous situations with an adult such as a teacher,
guidance counselor, administrator, or law enforcement officer, so appropriate steps can be taken to investigate and/or respond to those reports. Students experiencing anxiety or fear related to recent events were also offered the services of guidance staff.
We sincerely hope that parents will take this opportunity to talk with their children about the importance of informing adults of potentially dangerous situations. The actions of one brave student to report a potentially dangerous situation can make a huge difference in preventing an incident from escalating into a tragedy.
I want to personally assure all parents/guardians and students, as well as employees, of the Middletown Area School District that we are fully committed to ensuring that every reasonable action is taken to protect our students and staff. We will be spending a considerable amount of time during the coming days and weeks reviewing this situation, examining our safety and security protocols and procedures, and engaging in conversations with experts regarding steps we should consider in the future to keep our staff and students safe in light of this recent event. The well-being of our students and staff is our greatest priority. This is not a task which we can accomplish without your assistance. Therefore, we extend an invitation to all students, parents, and staff to be part of the solution to this problem. Specifically, we ask that you communicate with school officials when information of a concerning nature is brought to your attention. You can be of tremendous assistance to us in protecting our students and staff. We thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and support during this difficult time.
In closing, I do not believe that the actions taken by the two students are reflective of the entire student body. We have many fine young men and women who come to school daily wanting to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available in the Middletown Area School District. We continue to take great pride in the many accomplishments of our students and hope that this unfortunate event, which has cast a negative light on the District, will soon be overshadowed by all the wonderful things that our students do on a regular basis. An example of this is the incredible talent displayed on Saturday evening at the alumni program when several of our High School students performed for members of the alumni association. Unfortunately, these are not the things that are typically front page headlines in our local media, but are still deserving of recognition and praise. Let’s continue to recognize the positive things that make Middletown Area School District a good place to be.
Sincerely yours,
Lori A. Suski, Ed.D.
Lori A. Suski, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools