Dear Abington School District Community,
It is with great disappointment that I am again reaching out to our school community with another concern over school safety following the incident at our football game and the September 14th altercation at Abington Senior High School, both at the start of our school year.
I thank the Abington Township Police Department (APD) for their support in maintaining safety in our schools, including our School Resource Officers, as well as, our Abington School District Police Officers, administration, staff, and security guards. Having proper safety personnel in place provided a swift response as police, administration, and security personnel interceded within seconds to end this altercation at ASHS. Fortunately, no weapons were involved and no major injuries were sustained.
Across the District we continue to work with the Abington Township Police Department to evaluate our safety measures and protocols. We have asked the Abington Township Police Department for increased visibility and patrols at our schools, and they continue to be engaged in District emergency procedures and review, as well as training for our staff.
At our Board meeting on Tuesday, September 26, District administration and Abington Township Police will provide an orientation on Safety and Security, with a focus on violence prevention. As is our practice, the meeting will also be streamed live on our Abington School District YouTube channel and recorded for future viewing.
Policies and Procedures
Violence in school will result in serious disciplinary consequences, up to and including expulsion, in accordance with our Board Policy. In addition to this policy, I have been asked in parent/guardian communications about other policies and procedures that are in place to protect the students of Abington School District. These include:
Student Offenses and Discipline Procedures - If students are detained through the juvenile justice system, it is after their release that our procedures go into effect. You can find the Superintendent’s Administrative Procedure for General Education Students here, and for Students with IEPs and 504 Agreements here.
Bullying - While the police investigation has not indicated bullying as the cause of this peer conflict, please remember that we have bullying incident report forms on all of our school websites should a student perceive they are being bullied. These reports will be addressed in accordance with our Superintendent’s Administrative Procedure regarding Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Unlawful Harassment.
Community Support
In instances such as this, I remind our families that school safety is not limited to the walls of our buildings; it takes a collective community effort to ensure that our students have the supports they need inside and outside of school.
In the spring, more than 100 community leaders were invited to participate in a forum hosted at Abington Senior High School to address the growing and pervasive youth violence in our community that has been seeping its way into our schools. Together, we had even worked with the factions of students who were involved in the September 14th incident and their families in an attempt to peacefully resolve these ongoing conflicts. It is unfortunate that this was the outcome after months of our school personnel, the police, and community leaders trying to mediate.
We are continuing to enlist the support of community leaders, with the partnership of the APD, to increase mentorship opportunities for youth and ensure they have a supportive network. As a Superintendent, I have also been advocating through our local and county juvenile justice system for more effective action plans and interventions to address youth engaged in acts of violence. I have lobbied for better safety measures to be put in place for students on probation who are attending our schools. We can only enact our policies to the extent that is allowable by law.
Lastly, please see the following communication from Mr. Angelo Berrios, Abington Senior High School Principal, with more information regarding updates specific to the Senior High community. I remind you of the measures we have already put in place for the remainder of the football season, which we continue to expand upon with the plan to purchase a more advanced weapons detection screening system that can be used at large public events across the District.
This altercation that led to the arrest of a group of our students is not representative of our larger school community of more than 2,800 students in grades 9-12, and over 8,600 students districtwide, and this kind of behavior is not acceptable in our schools. It is essential that we continue to honor and applaud our students who continue to pursue a high-quality Abington education, which is our strength. You have my commitment that addressing these issues in our schools remains my top priority as Superintendent, especially as it involves the safety of our students and staff, who deserve to be educated and work in an environment free of violence. I thank our entire community, parents and guardians included, for your continued support in our efforts to keep the students of Abington School District safe.
Regards,
Jeffrey S. Fecher, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools