15th Threat Of Violence At Coatesville Area High School

WEST CHESTER, PA —Coatesville Area High School students were sent home Thursday before the school day started, causing another “intolerable, situation," Dr. Richard F. Dunlap Jr., interim superintendent, said Friday.

School buses were rerouted to take the students home after a threat of a shooting was called in at 7:10 a.m, Dunlap said

The school received notification on its Safe2Say line that a shooting would occur between 7:10 and 7:30 a.m.

The shooting never happened, police said.

This marks the 15th violent threat on the Safe2Say tip line made within a month.

As a result of the threat Thursday:

• School opened on time today with a large police presence.
• The district extended its first marking period three days to Thursday, Nov. 3.
• A ninth grade football game was canceled and a middle school soccer game was relocated.

Dunlap said the district has requested a meeting with Attorney General Josh Shapiro to discuss the Safe2Say tip line, which is run by Shapiro’s office and mandated for all districts.

“Safety must be our priority and we simply cannot ‘hope’ that these are false threats,” Dunlap said. “Each one must be investigated and taken seriously.

"At the same time, we are actively seeking outside support as this situation has become intolerable.”

Last week, a 17-year-old senior was charged with threatening to set the school on fire with a homemade bomb.