Dear Abington School District Community,
I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation with and understanding of our emergency management at Friday night’s football game between Abington Senior High School and Cheltenham High School, where a Cheltenham student was found in possession of a loaded firearm.
The safety of our school community is our top priority, which is why I felt that suspending the game—out of an abundance of caution—was the appropriate action so that we could get our students, staff, and other spectators home safely after the Abington Township Police Department swiftly, and without further incident, apprehended the suspect. The three police officers who were on duty that night were not only able to quickly control the situation, but they then assisted in clearing the stadium without panic.
I would also like to thank our security guards who were working that night, as well as, our school police officer, administrators, and staff, who assisted with supervision and crowd control, as they all were critical in making sure our spectators got home safely.
See Something, Say Something.
I am extremely grateful for the vigilant Cheltenham parent in attendance, who immediately reported what they saw to one of Cheltenham’s security personnel who were on duty at Schwarzman Stadium. Their actions underscore the importance of “if you see something, say something”—either to a police officer, security guard, administrator, or other Abington School District staff member on site.
I remind our school community that for less urgent situations, we have a Threat Assessment Team who can be contacted whenever there is a concern over a student posing a threat to themselves or others. The following team members can be contacted via email or phone: Dr. James Melchor, School Police Officer Steve Hochwind, or Dr. Robert Rosenthal. Alternatively, you can make a report anonymously online at Safe2SayPA.org or by calling 1-844-SAF2SAY.
Safety Protocols
When it comes to safety, there is always room to evaluate and make improvements. Anytime there is an incident such as this, our District safety team meets with the police department to unpack the situation and determine how we can enhance safety protocols in the future. To start, we will be tightening our adherence to restrictions of bags, outside beverages and water bottles in Schwarzman Stadium.
As our District safety team explores additional measures with the police and communicates those developments to our families, we will be moving Friday’s football game against Council Rock to be played at 11:30 a.m. at Schwarzman Stadium. We appreciate our opposing team’s cooperation in this matter.
Further, I want to make it clear that a high school football game, or any school event, is no place to bring a weapon, and doing so is in violation of our Board Policies and Procedures, as well as, Pennsylvania law. We will continue to work with the Abington Township Police Department to increase safety measures for large public events, and throughout our schools as well.
Community Support
Friday night’s events were likely upsetting to all in our school community. Members of our counseling staff are already back in the buildings preparing for the new year, so we encourage you to contact your student’s school counselor if they need to talk with someone about how they are feeling. Our Student Services Department can also be reached at 215-881-2505.
I am troubled that we had to start the school year off with what occurred on Friday night. Back-to-school and football season should be an exciting time for our staff, students and their families as we celebrate our football players, cheerleaders, and marching band at Schwarzman Stadium. I wish the ASD community a positive and safe 2023-2024 school year, and look forward to welcoming our staff back tomorrow, and our students back next week.
Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!
Regards,
Jeffrey S. Fecher, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools