District outlines safety concerns, counseling plans; police investigation continues after off-campus arrests
Quakertown Community School District officials said Sunday night they are preparing for a “safe and supportive” return to school this week following Friday’s student walkout that led to arrests off campus in the borough.
In a letter sent to families, students and staff at 6 p.m. Sunday, Acting Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hoffman said administrators worked through the weekend after what she described as “a challenging time for our school community.”
“We know the events surrounding Friday’s walkout have been unexpected and stressful for many of our students, staff, parents, and community members,” Hoffman wrote. “The media coverage and some information circulating on social media have made this even more challenging.”
Students are planned to return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, as the district called an asynchronous virtual day on Monday due to Nor'easter Hernando.
District says it did not endorse walkout, cited safety threats
According to the district, administrators met with student organizers on Friday, Feb. 13 and Wednesday to review plans and discuss alternative demonstrations that would not disrupt the school day.
“To be clear, like nearly every school district across the region, it is our practice not to endorse or facilitate a student walk-out during the school day for any reason,” Hoffman wrote. “However, we also know it is our responsibility and duty to provide reasonable safety and security support for students and staff members who enter and exit our schools.”
When students indicated the walkout would extend off school property, administrators said they discussed and agreed on a route that would remain in front of the high school to better manage safety.
Quakertown Borough Police Department was notified and agreed to provide a presence Friday morning.
District officials said safety concerns escalated throughout the week, with students who planned to participate reporting bullying and threats.
At 9 p.m. Thursday, the district received what it described as “a new and concerning threat of violence.”
“In close consultation with local law enforcement, we issued a notice before the start of school on Friday that, due to known safety concerns, students should not continue with the protest,” Hoffman wrote. “This was in no way an attempt to silence students. Instead, we were adhering to our primary responsibility to prioritize the safety of all students and staff members.”
Administrators met with student organizers at 7:15 a.m. Friday to reiterate those concerns, according to the letter.
Students left campus, arrests occurred in borough
Around 11:25 a.m. Friday, about 35 students left the high school and continued off campus, deviating from the previously discussed route, district officials said.
The district said it received reports that students were moving through town and that some were engaging in “disruptive and unsafe behavior.” The school resource officer followed students as they left campus.
“Once students left school grounds without authorization and walked into town, deviating from the planned walkout route, they were no longer under the district’s custodial control or supervision, and we have almost no legal ability to regulate or investigate their behavior,” Hoffman wrote.
She added that administrators were not on scene in the borough and “were not in any way involved in student arrests,” emphasizing that local police are a separate entity from the school district.
As previously reported, several students were taken into custody following confrontations downtown. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has since announced an independent review of the police response and is seeking video and information from the public.
Counseling plan, added police presence
While the district said it does not have additional information about the arrests because they occurred off school property, officials said their focus now is on student and staff well-being.
The district is working with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to develop a counseling support plan for the week ahead. Additional details are expected to be shared with families.
Officials also confirmed they have coordinated with law enforcement for police presence and support as students return to school.
“Our administrative team and many of our staff members have been inundated with hateful messages and concerning physical threats to our personal safety via email, phone, and social media,” Hoffman wrote. “This is simply inexcusable. We have and will continue to report these threats to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.”
The district acknowledged strong emotions surrounding the incident and said it anticipates further questions in the coming days, noting that its ability to comment on matters outside its authority will remain limited.
“We simply ask for support as we work to balance the emotions and volatility that our school community has experienced and that our students and staff will bring with them as we return to school this coming week,” Hoffman wrote.
A GoFundMe has been launched to cover the cost of students' legal fees and medical bills. As of 8 p.m. Sunday, in one day, it hit 96% of its $18,000 goal, out of 190 donors, including two top donations of $500 and a $200 donation from The Woori Center, a nonprofit that organizes Korean and Asian Americans toward achieving social, racial, and economic justice in Pennsylvania.
There is also a petition on Change.org calling for the resignation of Chief Scott McElree, who was identified by media outlets as the plainclothes officer depicted accosting a student and being accosted by protesters.
McElree also serves as the appointed borough manager and the public records officer. Numerous contacts to Quakertown Borough Police have gone unreturned.
Quakertown Borough Council meets in a work session Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at borough hall at 35 N. 3rd St. A public agenda shows no public comment period.
Quakertown Community School Board meets Thursday night 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Board members include Todd Hippauf, Rebecca Merola, David O’Donnell, Jonathan Kern, Chris Spear, Amanda Hahn, Joe Lyons, Brian Reimers, and Roberta Rogers. The Board is split into regions, with Region 3 covering Quakertown Borough, overseen by elected Directors Lyons, Reimers, and Rogers.
A Bucks County political mobilization group, Upper Bucks United, Undivided, is planning a protest at the meeting to demand the resignation of McElree. Read UBU's statement on the situation here.
The six-member council includes at least two Democratic councilors. The current president of council, Donald Rosenberger, a Republican, was first elected in 1998. Other councilors include Vice President L. James Roberts Jr., Michael Johnson, Dave Wilsey, Jonathan Sell, and Mae Wear.
