The State College Area School District announced on Tuesday that new security measures will be implemented for the upcoming school year, including students wearing and scanning IDs and random searches.
SCASD superintendent Curtis Johnson wrote in an email to SCASD families that these measures align with guidelines from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, recommendations from law enforcement, and input from community members and student leaders.
"These new measures ... will be a strong addition to our regular K-12 practices of taking attendance on a daily basis as well as conducting evacuation, stay-put/lockdown, and severe weather drills," Johnson wrote.
All students in grades 6-12 will be required to wear an ID at all times while on school grounds. Schools will give students lanyards, but they aren’t required, so long as IDs are visible.
All State High, Delta Middle and Delta High students will be required to scan their IDs when entering and exiting the school. At Park Forest and Mount Nittany Middle Schools, random security checks will be conducted at school entrances and in homerooms.
There will also be random security searches at all middle and high school buildings throughout the year, including bag searches and using metal detectors.
These policies were put in place after a former student was arrested in April for allegedly planning an attack at State College Area High School.
"As always, safety and security is our top priority, and we believe these measures will enhance the security of our entire school community," Johnson wrote. "Thank you for your support and cooperation as we implement these new protocols."
