Pennbrook Middle School students, standing in crowd, address the North Penn school board with questions about an alleged attack on a student at Pennbrook during the school board meeting on April 18, 2024. (Screenshot of NPTV video)
North Penn School District officials are vowing to take several steps to increase school security after a bloody attack left a Pennbrook Middle School student hospitalized last week.
The district has told parents there will be a review of the assault by “a third-party unbiased investigator” to offer safety recommendations.
“This week has been difficult for all of us, and I am hopeful that we can come together for the betterment of our students, staff and community as a whole,” said superintendent Todd Bauer, in a statement posted Saturday and sent to district families.
Dozens of parents and several Pennbrook students voiced their horror last Thursday night over an incident that occurred the day before, when a Pennbrook student was allegedly attacked in the cafeteria of that school by another student.
During the Thursday school board meeting, parents and students expressed outrage that students weren’t protected and accused the district and school board of ignoring or downplaying warnings about the assailant. A clip from the meeting drew millions of views online of a resident questioning whether recent board policies and the alleged assailant’s gender identity played any role in how the prior incidents were handled or how the April 17 attack was communicated.
Over the weekend, parents and residents continued to sound off on social media, forming a “Parents for Change with NPSD” Facebook group to share stories of school violence, then sparring over suggestions for the board to implement.
A district spokeswoman declined to comment Monday on questions from The Reporter on whether the alleged assailant had returned to school, if any adjudication proceedings had begun, and denied a request to confirm the gender identities of the alleged assailant and victim.
The spokeswoman said the district had and would post publicly any information that could be shared. The district has also publicized a previously scheduled presentation in their “family engagement series” of online panel discussions. The next session is slated for 7 p.m. on April 25 with a topic of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents, with residents sounding off on how those factors, or others, may have played into the Pennbrook attack.
Action promised
In the April 20 letter, Bauer outlined 10 bullet points he said were “based upon the feedback that we have heard from parents, students, and staff over the last few days” after the incident. That to-do list includes contracting “with a third-party unbiased investigator to examine the totality of this incident and to offer an analysis and recommendations,” and establishing a school safety forum “including a comprehensive look at the programs and measures that we currently have in place and to field questions and answers from the community and local experts.”
Other steps include developing student safety committees at each building, which Bauer said “will meet monthly with building leaders to share concerns, questions, and recommendations to improve school safety and climate. The student’s voice is essential in a comprehensive plan.”
Further steps outlined in the letter include consultation with county school safety officials, professional development for administrators, refresher training on the district’s Safe2Say anonymous tip line, and “partnering with the Center for Effective Schools for trauma-informed professional development for staff and community members.”
Additional listening sessions regarding school safety will be scheduled over the next month, then discussed in a public safe schools committee meeting, and “a solution-oriented group of parents, students, and local leaders will be brought together to further identify areas for improvement.”
Shared concern
The district statement also included a link to a document compiled by the district’s guidance department on how to talk to students about the incident, and Bauer reiterated that “that there are many details to this incident that I am unable to share and this can be frustrating to both you and me.”
“However, students and families have a right to due process and confidentiality. What I can tell you is that we will be tireless in our demonstration to you that we, too, share your concern and are committed to substantial improvement today and in the long-term future,” he said.
North Penn’s school board next meets at 7 p.m. on May 7 and the board’s safe schools committee next meets at 5:45 p.m. on April 29; for more information visit www.NPenn.org.
