A Pennsylvania Senate Committee advanced a bill that would require parents to be notified when authorities find a weapon in school.
The proposal, known as Senate Bill 246, was sponsored by Sens. Jarrett Coleman and Christine Tartaglione. It would mandate schools and school entities to notify parents and guardians about the discovery of a weapon on school property within 24 hours.
Notifying Parents When a Weapon is Brought to School
Additionally, the bill requires schools to notify teachers, administrators, and other staff where the weapons-related incident took place. Coleman argued that under current legislation,m there is nothing that requires school districts to notify parents or guardians about incidents when a weapon is discovered to have been brought into school grounds.
The only time that districts are required to report incidents to the Department of Education is when they relate to expulsions for possession of a weapon on school grounds or a school-sponsored activity.
Coleman said there should be a higher level of transparency when it comes to weapons being brought into school grounds. He added that schools need to be transparent with parents of students when dangerous incidents take place within their grounds, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star.
The bill would also allow targeted notifications, which is where alerts may be sent to the parents or guardians of only those who are at a particular event. Coleman also offered an amendment to the proposal, which clarifies it would apply to "non-public" or "private" schools across the state.
On the other hand, opponents of the bill raised questions about what the proposal actually defined as a "weapon." Sen. Anthony Williams said that he agrees with parents, staff, and students being notified when a weapon is found.
The Definition of 'Weapon'
He noted that in its current version, the bill's definition of weapon is "pretty broad," saying he will work with Coleman to properly define it. Williams justified his concern by saying that there have been unjustified instances in the past, Yahoo News reported.
Some examples are when students were suspended from school for bringing a sharpened pencil or having scissors. Williams added that lawmakers should also consider the possibility of some students carrying weapons to school because of safety reasons.
The situation comes as a Pennsylvania man was accused of plotting a high school shooting in April 2025. The individual was identified as Braeden Philips, who reportedly conspired with another individual to "commit murder(s) by planning a coordinated school shooting on Apr. 21, 2025, as per CNN.
