Hardly any chairs remained empty at the October 23 School Board action meeting, following an incident just two days prior where a 9-millimeter handgun was found on a 16-year-old male student at North Penn High School, eliciting feedback, concerns, and comments from the community. 

Superintendent Dr. Todd Bauer began the meeting by addressing the incident, starting with a summary of events. 

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Brandon Rhone, Coordinator of Emergency Management and Safe Schools for North Penn received a call from the Lansdale police department that a student shared with other students that he had a gun in school. The information came out in an investigation of a separate incident within the community.

The protocol for suspected firearms, Bauer explained, is to contact the police and immediately locate the individual and follow search procedures. 

“Of note, I have been in North Penn for eleven years, and such reports have never resulted in the possession of a firearm. Nonetheless, all such reports are taken seriously,” Bauer said.

Following the call with Lansdale’s police department, Rhone contacted the Towamencin police and shared the information, and additionally called North Penn’s head of security Bernie Jones, who was asked to share the information with principal Kyle Hassler.

“The call ended after the changing of classes, meaning that all 3,000 kids were in the hallways. Mr. Hassler and Mr. Jones looked up the student’s schedule and they recognized that the student would likely be passing by the main office from one period to the next.”

Jones exited the office and found the student, and the student was taken to the security office and walked through the courtyard as opposed to in the hallways with other students. The entire transaction from the moment the phone call ended to when the student was taken into the office took a total of two minutes. The student was immediately taken under arrest upon the handgun being found in a search of his person.

Bauer acknowledged and thanked Hassler and Rhone, who both were present at the meeting and were met with applause, along with Jones, who was not present. 

“The three of them were superheroes,” Bauer said. 

Following a review of the communication timeline with parents, Bauer answered some of the questions asked through emails and phone calls, noting that he has responded to every one that he has received. 

Bauer acknowledged what could have gone better and gave resolutions to each weak spot noted in the incident. The criticized delay of information was explained by Bauer as a process of communication between administration and police. It was additionally noted that the Evolv weapons detection system will be continuously implemented in the high school moving forward, which was a major point of concern from families. Community members also brought up concerns about the system’s accuracy, but Bauer later explained that while he has been present, the detectors have not seen a false positive. 

Board member Jonathan Kassa also provided an explanation on the absence of Evolv prior to the incident, explaining that “we don’t want it to feel like a prison. But, we also have to realize that our schools are a nexus of everything in our society and those same risks exist. And it’s actually because of the community’s proactive investment and the curiosity of the administration to find new solutions and innovate that when a problem exists, the investment was already made in having a system in place that could be immediately deployed.”

Richard Bosack, a North Penn High School senior, responded to this during the audience of citizens. 

“Students’ safety should be put above whether it feels like a prison. Students’ feelings don’t matter if they’re no longer living,” Bosack said. 

During the audience of citizens, Yanni Lambros, a current school board candidate for North Penn United, also spoke. 

“God bless the security members and the police officers. That’s the most important thing, for everyone to go home safely that day. It’s not easy when you’re dealing with multiple buildings, tens of thousands children and community members and staff. But, at the same time, you’ve promoted your Evolv technology. A lot of people had it in their mind that the system was in place every day. They didn’t know it was being used at random. If it’s not being used, why spend money on it?” Lambros said.

“Without that tip, that child would have been in the class, in the school all day with a handgun. Thankfully, nothing happened, but if you don;t change something, if we as a community don’t change something, this will happen,” Lambros continued. 

Community members also brought up concerns on student mental health resources, and student background checks, as multiple community members and parents alleged the student in possession of the handgun as a previously expelled student, who was expelled for a similar incident at another district. The identity of the student has not been publicly disclosed, in accordance with juvenile confidentiality laws.

Board member Dr. Elisha K. Gee later shared in the meeting that she too is concerned with mental health resources for the community.

“Post Covid, as an educator, we realized a blind spot for many of us in our communities is the trauma that students and families have experienced. We’re seeing that we have to invest in mental health support and social workers. The county itself is not prepared to support us; we as schools have to step in and be a support,” Gee said.

Another community member, Nicole Brown, took to the podium to discuss the mental stress, exhaustion, and fear that the incident has instilled. Brown also shared that she holds a position on Montgomery County’s Youth Aid Panel and is using that experience to better understand children’s actions. 

“I have replayed countless versions of what has happened. These thoughts have kept me awake for days; I am mentally exhausted, I want you to hear me when I say that,” Brown said, through tears. “It’s difficult for children to focus on their work and for adults to perform at their best when fear lingers in the background of daily life. North Penn needs to do better about mental health and supporting children who need intervention, whether that child can verbally identify it or not.

Following audience of citizens, board member Kunbi Rudnick gave a statement and directly addressed Brown, noting her own personal experience with two daughters in the high school. 

“To say that I understand the feelings and the emotions is an understatement. So, Mrs. Brown, I really do appreciate you coming, speaking your truth. It’s difficult. It certainly is personal to me. I got the same email you all got at 12:40PM and had the same nervousness,” Rudnick said.

“But, I will say this, and I do hope this helps: when I spoke to my daughters, and over the last couple of days, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many, many high school kids, they were doing okay. This is what came out from the students. I just want to make sure that we put the students at the center, and that’s what I focused on the last couple of days,” Rudnick continued.

Bauer acknowledged that the agenda for the upcoming Safe Schools meeting would be updated to include information relevant to the incident, including an overview of the Evolv weapons detection system, district communication information for families, and Safe2Say reminders. The meeting can be watched live on NPTV’s YouTube channel at 5:45PM Monday.

Last meeting’s minutes were approved and all following agenda items were moved. As per the district site, action and work session meetings are held in person at the Educational Services Center located at 401 E. Hancock Street Lansdale, PA 19446 unless otherwise noted. These meetings will be televised live and added to the library for later viewing on the NPTV YouTube Channel. All upcoming meeting information can be found on BoardDocs.