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Outraged Parents Blast Officials At Lehigh County Board Meeting After School Employee's Arrest Outraged Parents Blast Officials At Lehigh County Board Meeting After School Employee's Arrest
Outraged Parents Blast Officials At Lehigh County Board Meeting After School Employee's Arrest Outraged parents showed up to a school board meeting in Lehigh County to blast officials after news broke that a teacher had been arrested for secretly recording a student undressing in a school auditorium. Laura Warmkessel was just one of those parents. "You guys sit up here the majority of the time patting yourselves on the back and congratulating each other on how wonderful this school district is, but under the radar letting these monsters into our system, repeatedly," Warmkessel told the Parkland School District Board of Directors on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Click here to watch the meeting. …

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by Merriell Moyer
Schools
345 Offenses As Adult For Teen School Bus Shooter: Chester DA 345 Offenses As Adult For Teen School Bus Shooter: Chester DA
345 Offenses As Adult For Teen School Bus Shooter: Chester DA Students were on a school bus when gunshots came through the windshield, Chester County officials announced on Thursday night, Oct. 10.  Jaki White-Marshall, 17, of Coatesville, has been arrested and will be charged as an adult for shooting at a bus full of high school students, the Chester County District Attorney announced the day after the shooting.  The shooting happened in the 300 block of Charles Street near Hope Avenue and Madison Street around 3 p.m., according to the Coatesville Area School District and the DA.  White-Marshall was one of four men…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Knife Falls Out Of Student's Backpack At Charter School: PA State Police Knife Falls Out Of Student's Backpack At Charter School: PA State Police
Knife Falls Out Of Student's Backpack At Charter School: PA State Police A student at a Chester County school is in trouble with police after a knife fell out of their backpack, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Troopers were called to the Avon Grove Charter School, located at 110 East State Road, West Grove, at about 11:18 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, state police said. The knife is described as a pocketknife which was discovered when it fell out of the student's backpack, according to state police. There was no threat to the school, the public, or anyone else involved in the case, state police said. There is no word on any charges. The investigation i…

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by Merriell Moyer
Schools
PA State Police Respond To Threats Across Mulitple School Districts PA State Police Respond To Threats Across Mulitple School Districts
PA State Police Respond To Threats Across Mulitple School Districts Threats have prompted Pennsylvania State Police to increase their presence in schools across multiple districts, PSP Troop M PIO Nathan Branosky told Daily Voice on Friday, Sept. 13. "We are increasing our presence at schools," Trooper Branosky told us.  The threats were directed towards Northwestern Lehigh School District and East Penn School District, he explained.  The previous day, threats in the Wissahickon School District led to an early dismissal and increased local police presence. No viable threats were found.  All of the school districts are working with police to…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Parent Made Threats To Yeadon Elementary School, Police Say Parent Made Threats To Yeadon Elementary School, Police Say
Parent Made Threats To Yeadon Elementary School, Police Say Yeadon Borough police are investigating alleged threats by a parent toward the Bell Avenue Elementary School.  Authorities said they were called to the school on Friday, May 31. The parent has been identified and police said they are continuing to investigate. 

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
16-Year-Old Brought Gun To Chester High School, Police Say 16-Year-Old Brought Gun To Chester High School, Police Say
16-Year-Old Brought Gun To Chester High School, Police Say City police were called to Chester High School on Tuesday morning, May 28 after security found a student with a handgun, officials say.  Authorities said the 16-year-old student tried to pass through the school’s security checkpoint with a pistol around 7:50 a.m. The student was detained by the school resource officer, police said.  The firearm was recovered and a juvenile petition is being filed, police added. 

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Bucks Co. School Bus Catches Fire With 36 Students Onboard: Police (PHOTOS) Bucks Co. School Bus Catches Fire With 36 Students Onboard: Police (PHOTOS)
Council Rock School Bus Catches Fire With 36 Onboard: Police Authorities in Newtown are investigating two separate fires involving school vehicles on Friday morning, March 22, according to the township police department.  The first fire happened in the parking lot at St. Andrew Catholic Education Center on Wrights Road around 7:45 a.m., police said. The vehicle was unoccupied and there were no injuries or damages to other property, authorities wrote.  The second blaze broke out on a Council Rock School District bus with 36 students and one driver onboard, according to police.  Scenes from the Council Rock school bus fire…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Bomb Threat Closes Saucon Valley Schools, Police Investigating Bomb Threat Closes Saucon Valley Schools, Police Investigating
Bomb Threat Closes Saucon Valley Schools, Police Investigating Saucon Valley School District canceled classes Wednesday, March 20 after administrators received a bomb threat, according to Lower Saucon police.  Authorities said they were contacted about the threat on Tuesday, March 19.  "The investigation is ongoing and there is a collaborative effort between the police department and the school district to ensure the safety of the students and staff of Saucon Valley School District," police said in a release.  "In an effort to not impact the ongoing investigation, the further release of information will be restricted." Anyone with info…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
'Credible' Threat Prompts Restrictions At LCTI, Suspect In Custody: Admins 'Credible' Threat Prompts Restrictions At LCTI, Suspect In Custody: Admins
'Credible' Threat Prompts Restrictions At Lcti, Suspect In Custody: Admins An "external threat" received by Lehigh Career and Technical Institute administrators led to restrictions on campus on Tuesday, March 12, according to school officials.  LCTI did not describe the threat but said state police found it "credible." Movement was restricted on campus until all high school students were dismissed at 3:17 p.m., administrators said in a message on their website.  Evening adult education classes will continue as scheduled.  Upper Macungie police have arrested a suspect in connection with the incident, LCTI said.

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
High School Student Had Gun On Campus, Say Allentown Police High School Student Had Gun On Campus, Say Allentown Police
High School Student Had Gun On Campus, Say Allentown Police An Allentown teenager faces criminal charges after authorities say he showed up to school with a gun Tuesday morning, Dec. 19.  City police were called to Dieruff High School about a possibly armed student around 10:30 a.m., the department said in a release.  A school resource officer and responding APD officers eventually located the student, "who had been in possession of a firearm on school property," authorities said.  The 17-year-old was charged with possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, possessing a firearm as a minor, and unlicensed carry, APD said.&n…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
BB Gun PA Student Took To Elementary School 'Not Intended To Harm,' Police Say BB Gun PA Student Took To Elementary School 'Not Intended To Harm,' Police Say
BB Gun PA Student Took To Elementary School 'Not Intended To Harm,' Police Say Yeadon police stopped by WB Evans Elementary School on Monday after a student showed up to class with a BB gun, the department said.  "The student in question was cooperative with police and school security," said borough police.  "At no time were any of the students or staff in danger, the student did not intend to harm anyone." Police and school administrators are handling the incident, authorities said.  Daily Voice has reached out to William Penn School District for comment. 

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Roxborough Shooting Suspect Jumped From 4th Floor Window Before Arrest: Marshals Roxborough Shooting Suspect Jumped From 4th Floor Window Before Arrest: Marshals
Roxborough Shooting Suspect Jumped From 4th Floor Window Before Arrest: Marshals More than a year after the shooting that killed a 14-year-old boy outside Roxborough High School, the fifth known suspect has been captured.  Dayron Burney-Thorn, 17, was arrested by US Marshals in Germantown after leaping from a fourth-story window on Monday afternoon, Oct. 23, authorities said in a release.  He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Investigators believe Burney-Thorn was part of the group that ambushed Nicholas Elizalde and four others outside a Roxborough High football scrimmage on Sept. 27, 2022.  Elizalde, of Havertown, died from his wounds, while the other s…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
South Jersey Teacher Charged With Sexually Touching Multiple Students: Prosecutor South Jersey Teacher Charged With Sexually Touching Multiple Students: Prosecutor
South Jersey Teacher Charged With Sexually Touching Multiple Students: Prosecutor A special education teacher at an elementary school in Burlington County has been charged with sexually touching seven students, authorities said. Vincent Root, 58, of Philadelphia, was charged with seven counts of sexual assault and seven counts of child endangerment at Chatsworth Elementary School, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw Root was taken into custody Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Prosecutor’s Office in Mount Holly and held in Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.  District officials said Root has been placed on admi…

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by Jon Craig
Schools
Teen Found With Loaded Gun At PA High School: Police Teen Found With Loaded Gun At PA High School: Police
Teen Found With Loaded Gun At PA High School: Police A high school student in Allentown was found to have a loaded handgun in his possession on Monday morning, Sept. 25, according to city police.  The 15-year-old and others were caught smoking in a William Allen High School bathroom when the school resource officer searched their belongings and came across the weapon, APD said.  The youth was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, a felony, and related misdemeanor counts, the department said.  He is also charged with marijuana possession.  "We communicated information with staff and families regarding a safet…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
8 Teens Arrested After Fight Breaks Out At Abington High School: Police 8 Teens Arrested After Fight Breaks Out At Abington High School: Police
8 Teens Arrested After Fight Breaks Out At Abington High School: Police Eight students at Abington Senior High School were arrested after a fight "erupted"  on Thursday, Sept. 18, authorities say.  The brawl broke out just before 11:30 a.m., Abington police said. Video of the fight circulating on social media appears to show a large group of students in a hallway being separated by school security and police officers.  Wild fight at Abington High School! I’m told arrests have been made pic.twitter.com/oY6xKbLGsz — Sgt. Mark Fusetti (Retired) (@MarkFusetti) September 14, 2023 "The situation was brought under control as a result of the swift and coordinated …

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Teen Boy Shot Dead Walking To School; Philly Police Release Video Teen Boy Shot Dead Walking To School; Philly Police Release Video
Teen Boy Shot Dead Walking To School; Philly Police Release Video Police in Philadelphia are searching for the four men who they say gunned down a 15-year-old boy as he walked to school early Tuesday morning.  It happened on the 1600 block of West Hunting Park Avenue just before 7:40 a.m. on March 28, city police told Daily Voice. The victim was walking with another individual when the four suspects approached them from behind, as seen in surveillance footage released by the department.  The Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Unit is looking to identify the four suspects, depicted in the following surveillance video excerpts, as part of an ongoi…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Shooting Hoaxes Prompt Police Presence At Lehigh Valley Schools Shooting Hoaxes Prompt Police Presence At Lehigh Valley Schools
Shooting Hoaxes Prompt Police Presence At Lehigh Valley Schools Law enforcement is investigating after phony reports of shootings with multiple victims at a pair of Lehigh Valley high schools prompted a police response early on Wednesday, March 29.  It started in Allentown at about 7:45 a.m., city police said in a statement. Dispatchers were told that several people had been shot at William Allen High School, but offciers quickly cleared the building and determined there was no threat after meeting with school staff, the department said.  Then, just before 8 a.m., state police in Northampton County were called about an active shooter at Catasauqua High…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Allentown Teen Brought Loaded Gun To School, Police Say Allentown Teen Brought Loaded Gun To School, Police Say
Allentown Teen Brought Loaded Gun To School, Police Say An Allentown high school was locked down Wednesday before authorities could track down and arrest a student who had brought a loaded gun on campus, officials said.  Administrators at Louis E. Dieruff High School learned that a student was in possession of a firearm at about 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 1, Allentown police said in a statement.  The school initiated its lockdown protocol and notified parents through "school messaging channels," the department continued. Meanwhile, school resource officers identified and located the accused student.  After a search, the 14-year-old boy wa…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Man Boards School Bus, Touches Girl In Chester County: Officials Man Boards School Bus, Touches Girl In Chester County: Officials
Man Boards School Bus, Touches Girl In Chester County: Officials Police are seeking the public's help in identifying the man who boarded a Coatesville school bus and touched a student early Thursday, Jan. 26. The man got on the bus that had stopped to pick up students around 6:50 a.m. at E. Chestnut and N. 6th streets, sat next to a girl and inappropriately touched her leg, officials said. The Coatesville Area School District Police are investigating.

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report
Philly Elementary School Locked Down After Student Found With Gun: Report An elementary school in northeast Philadelphia was locked down on Tuesday, Dec. 20 after administrators learned that a student had a gun, according to a report from 6abc.  Farrell Elementary School at 8300 Castor Avenue in the city's Rhawnhurst section went on lockdown at about 8 a.m., the outlet wrote.  The student was located and taken into custody, the firearm was confiscated, and classes resumed as normal by 9:30 a.m., 6abc reported.  Philadelphia School District does not appear to have acknowledged the incident on its official social media channels, and administrators w…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested
Fake Gun Locks Down Delco High School; Student Arrested A Delaware County high school was briefly locked down Thursday, Dec. 8 after administrators spotted a gun in a student's backpack that turned out to be fake.  In a statement issued to parents and staff Thursday afternoon, Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Superintendent Wagner Marseille said staff at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford were informed that a student might have had a firearm in their bag.  The school locked down at around 10:45 a.m. as Nether Providence police searched the building. They arrested a student after discovering a "replica handgun" in h…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Former Chesco School Football Coach Charged With Sexual Abuse: DA Former Chesco School Football Coach Charged With Sexual Abuse: DA
Former Chesco School Football Coach Charged With Sexual Abuse: DA A one-time high school football coach in Chester County sexually abused an underage girl for years, authorities are alleging.   Kenneth Walls, a 77-year-old Downingtown resident and former staff football coach at Downingtown West High School, is being held at Chester County Prison in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond, said District Attorney Deb Ryan in a statement Friday, Nov. 4.  Police began examining Walls after the child told a staff member at her school, which is not in Chester County, that she was being sexually abused, the DA said.  Investigators said the 77-year-old …

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Large Police Presence Reported At Philly Area High School Large Police Presence Reported At Philly Area High School
Large Police Presence Reported At Philly Area High School A threat cleared Coatesville Area High School just before 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16, officials said.  A large police presence was reported at the school in the early afternoon.  A Chester County official said authorities were responding to a threat directed at the school but declined to comment further.  Students were moved to the football stadium as authorities swept the building, the outlet said. The school canceled its homecoming football game on Oct. 7 after an online threat was deemed "credible" by law enforcement. The school was searched for weapons by police canine units on Thursda…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Hit-Run Crash Prompted Lockdown Of Southern Lehigh School District, Police Say Hit-Run Crash Prompted Lockdown Of Southern Lehigh School District, Police Say
Hit-Run Crash Prompted Lockdown Of Southern Lehigh School District, Police Say A hit-and-run crash prompted authorities to order a lockdown of the Southern Lehigh School District early Tuesday, Sept. 27, they said. The lockdown had been lifted by the time Upper Saucon Township police released details about the incident around 5 p.m. Officers were called to the crash with injuries on Route 378 in the area of Preston Lane just after 8:35 a.m., police said. The offending driver fled the scene in their vehicle, abandoning it at the Southern Lehigh Intermediate School, according to township police. "In an abundance of caution police requested that the district lock …

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by Nicole Acosta
Obituaries
Woman Who Died After Being Struck By Car Outside Dieruff High School Was Paraprofessional Woman Who Died After Being Struck By Car Outside Dieruff High School Was Paraprofessional
Woman Who Died After Being Struck By Car Outside Dieruff High School Was Paraprofessional The woman who died after being struck by a car outside Dieruff High School in Allentown has been identified as a paraprofessional at the school, authorities said. Angela Yowakim, 25, was crossing Irving Street near Andre Reed Way when she was hit by the car just before the school day started around 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, according to Allentown police and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. The Allentown woman was brought to St. Luke’s Hospital - Bethlehem, where she was pronounced dead at 4:08 p.m., the coroner's office said. Her death was determined to be the result of multip…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
PA School Bus Aide Sexually Assaulted Elementary School Students: Authorities PA School Bus Aide Sexually Assaulted Elementary School Students: Authorities
PA School Bus Aide Sexually Assaulted Elementary School Students: Authorities A 71-year-old Pennsylvania school bus aide was arrested for sexually assaulting several elementary students, including one who he invited to sit on his lap, authorities said. The Upper Dublin School District in May was notified of the allegations against Willow Grove's Kenneth Cannon, who helps to transport students to and from Thomas Fitzwater and Jarrettown Elementary Schools, the district said in a newly released statement.  He and the bus driver were immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a police investigation. On one occasion between February and …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Student Charged After Bringing BB Gun To Eddystone Elementary School Student Charged After Bringing BB Gun To Eddystone Elementary School
Student Charged After Bringing BB Gun To Eddystone Elementary School A child was charged Thursday, June 2, after they showed up to a Delaware County elementary school with a BB gun, authorities said. At the start of the school day, police were called to Eddystone Elementary School, where they confiscated the BB gun and identified the student accused of bringing it in, Eddystone police said. Police said the unidentified student was "charged accordingly," but did not specify those charges. No injuries were reported. "This incident is a serious matter, and we will continue working hand and hand with school officials for maximum safety," police said in a Faceb…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
PA Third Grader Shared Pot Edibles With 9 Friends — Then All Were Hospitalized: Reports PA Third Grader Shared Pot Edibles With 9 Friends — Then All Were Hospitalized: Reports
PA Third Grader Shared Pot Edibles With 9 Friends — Then All Were Hospitalized: Reports Several elementary-aged students in Pennsylvania were taken to the hospital after eating edible marijuana, authorities said. The incident happened Wednesday, May 25 in Chester (Delaware County) when a third-grade student at the Chester Community Charter School brought what police say were pot edibles, and shared them with at least nine other students, according to police and NBC10. Ten students were taken to a local hospital for treatment and later released, the outlet says. The incident remains under investigation by Chester City Officer Jose Alvarez, police said. Click here for…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Fire Breaks Out Inside Classroom At Lower Merion High School: Report Fire Breaks Out Inside Classroom At Lower Merion High School: Report
Fire Breaks Out Inside Classroom At Lower Merion High School: Report A small electrical fire broke out Tuesday, April 26 inside a classroom at Lower Merion High School, 6abc reports. Classes at the school on Montgomery Avenue in Ardmore had already been dismissed, but fire crews evacuated any remaining students and staff around 4:30 p.m., the outlet says. No injuries were reported. Click here for more from 6abc.

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by Nicole Acosta
Schools
Philly Area Janitor Gave Students Candy Then Sexually Assaulted Them, DA Says Philly Area Janitor Gave Students Candy Then Sexually Assaulted Them, DA Says
Philly Area Janitor Gave Students Candy Then Sexually Assaulted Them, DA Says A 23-year-old middle school janitor has been arrested for sexually assaulting two student in Suburban Philadelphia, authorities said. Rushon "Shawn" Drayton, of Paoli, abused students ages 14 and 15, while working at the Valley Forge Middle School, and got friendly with them by handing out candy, Chester County DA Deborah Ryan said.  Drayton was charged with multiple counts of institutional sexual assault and other related charges, then released on $50,000 bail. Authorities believe there may be more victims. On April 10, the mother of a 14-year-old Valley Forge student at co…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
PA School Shooter Arrested: Police PA School Shooter Arrested: Police
PA School Shooter Arrested: Police A school shooter has been arrested in Pennsylvania, according to local authorities. One person was shot at Erie high school after a shooting broke out around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 5, according to Erie police. "The individual is in good condition and has been transported to the hospital," Erie police say. The school was locked down for hours while police secured the building. The school is locked down, and students are safe. — City of Erie, Pennsylvania (@CityofEriePA) April 5, 2022 School officials evacuated the building shortly after they received the all clear from the police,…

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by Jillian Pikora