Legislators Looking to Improve School Response to Crime

Allentown City Delegation Committed to Protecting Children

Responding to public concerns about the Allentown School District's response to alleged criminal incidents, Allentown's delegation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly is reviewing ways to improve the interaction between schools and law enforcement agencies.

State Senator Pat Browne and state Representatives Karen Beyer, Joe Brennan, Jennifer Mann, and Steve Samuelson are working together to determine what legislative and/or policy changes are needed to improve reporting measures and disciplinary action following criminal activity in schools.

"What we have seen in Allentown is extremely unfortunate on several levels," Senator Browne said. "We need to look at what is currently required under the Safe Schools section of the state School Code and determine standard operating procedures necessary to prevent these crimes from being repeated and the penalties that responsible parties should suffer if the procedures are not followed."

Senator Browne said he is currently looking at the provisions of a bill by Senator Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin that would amend the "Safe Schools" section of the state school code to specifically list criminal offenses under the section, set timeframes for submitting reports and detail what information would have to be included in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). MOUs are agreements between schools and law enforcement agencies setting procedures to be followed after a criminal incident.

The changes to Senator Piccola's legislation would include requiring a school entity to submit a copy of their MOU to the Department of Education by June 30, 2007 and June 30 of each year thereafter. It will also include penalties for superintendent and principals, who do not have an MOU established with local law enforcement, who intentionally fail to submit the MOU to the Department of Education, who intentionally fails to submit the report, or who fails to follow protocols in the MOU in regards to reporting violent crimes on school property to local law enforcement. These penalties are fines of $2,500 (first offense), $3,000 (second offense), and charges of reckless endangerment charges (third offense).

"I look forward to working with my colleagues who represent the Allentown School District in the House of Representatives to address this issue. This is a matter of trust. Parents should not have to worry about the safety and welfare of their children when they send them to school," Senator Browne said. "They expect schools to take every possible step to ensure safety and every necessary measure when criminal action takes place."

Representative Jennifer Mann, a graduate of William Allen High School, concurred. "Our school districts must be responsible for the safety of the children when they are at school. Parents in our community should have the utmost confidence that their children are safe at school and anything less is completely unacceptable. I am committed to working with my colleagues to enact stronger laws that both further protect students and hold administrators accountable for the safety of the students they serve."

Representative Beyer added that "As a former school board member in Saucon Valley, I find the situation at Central Elementary School most disturbing. Clearly, we must examine the reporting procedures and look for ways to strengthen them. Just as importantly, we must make sure that every school district including Allentown follows those reporting procedures, or face a serious penalty. Our children and their parents deserve no less."

Representative Brennan agreed. "This is a matter of trust. Parents must feel confident that their children are safe at school. Just as importantly, they have to know that every action has been taken to ensure justice should their child be the victim of a crime."

Representative Samuelson said that "I look forward to working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to develop legislation that will increase the safety and security of children attending schools – not just in the Allentown School District, but across the state."

The five elected officials have already held discussions on possible legislative solutions, and will continue their discussion in the upcoming days.

"We owe it to parents across Pennsylvania to ensure their children's safety. We are one hundred percent committed to finding a legislative solution together," Mann concluded.

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 821-8468
(Senator Browne)

Peter Schweyer
(610) 821-5577
(Representative Mann)

Beth Harwick
(610) 791-6270
(Representative Beyer)

Vicki Lightcap
(610) 791-6270
(Representative Beyer)