Lower Burrell, Highlands, Fox Chapel deal with threats at schools

Lower Burrell police are serving search warrants following threats made Monday against Burrell High School on social media platforms, Chief John Marhefka said.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation, which takes time,” he said.

Superintendent Shannon Wagner said students received and reported the social media posts Monday, and all district buildings were locked down for the afternoon. Additional security was stationed at the schools.

Burrell will operate in-person, on a regular schedule Wednesday, according to Wagner. There will be an increased police presence at all buildings.

The nature and credibility of the social media posts remain under investigation.

On Tuesday, Burrell implemented a two-hour delay and flexible instruction day for all district students as authorities investigated and reviewed information related to the threat, Wagner said.

On-campus, after-school events were canceled Tuesday, Wagner said.

Marhefka reminded parents that, when lockdowns occur, they should remain at home and not show up at the school or the nearby area. Instead, parents are updated on situations via the school by the Skyward platform.

They also should not call the school or police station, he said.

“We need to keep our communications free,” Marhefka said. “These actions by parents hamper police from doing our jobs and slows down the process.”

Threat at Highlands was unfounded

A social media threat made against Highlands School District was investigated by Harrison police and deemed unfounded, the district posted on its website.

Threat also reported at Fox Chapel

Fox Chapel Area School District officials also were notified of a threat against their high school Monday evening, which prompted a two-hour delay and virtual learning day Tuesday for all district students.

Fox Chapel said it opted for virtual instruction. No additional information on the nature of that threat, or its investigation, was provided.

On Tuesday, Fox Chapel Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac emailed an investigation follow-up to parents stating “there is no credible threat” to the district and all schools will return to normal, in-person instruction Wednesday.

“Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased law enforcement presence on the district’s campuses,” the email said.

Trend of school threats ‘alarming’

The influx of school threats in the region caught the attention of Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.

She announced Tuesday a county detective was assigned as a “school safety liaison” to streamline communication with the District Attorney’s Office as an additional resource.

“While we are confident every law enforcement agency and school district are equipped to respond to these threats, as the district attorney, we want to ensure that our police agencies work collaboratively together to assess and thoroughly investigate every incident,” she said.

Ziccarelli said threats not only disrupt the educational experience but also exhaust resources, create unnecessary stress and cause panic among the community and students.

There is a zero-tolerance policy for those who make threats, she said. She acknowledged social media has exacerbated how threats are developed and shared.

“I ask students and parents to remain vigilant and monitor your child’s social media presence,” she said.

“It is my duty to follow the law and criminally charge any juvenile or adult who makes a threat against a school district, whether it is deemed credible or not.”

She encouraged anyone with concerns or information about potential threats to report them immediately to local police, school district officials or Safe2Say so the proper authorities can respond swiftly and effectively.