Arson & Weapon Threats Cause Coatesville High School Closing Tuesday

COATESVILLE, PA — Threats to set the Coatesville Area High School on fire were punctuated by fights in the school football stadium, resulting in the dismissal of an estimated 1,400 students and 120 staff Monday, according to Caln Township police.

Coatesville Area High school and intermediate school classes are cancelled on Tuesday, and an investigation by FBI, state and local law enforcement officers is ongoing, according to a news release from Caln Township Police Chief Joseph G. Elias.

Despite the threats, no accelerants or weapons were found, police said. Criminal charges are pending.

The threats Monday disrupted the school day, just as a series of threats on Oct. 7 and 13 did also. The threats prompted law enforcement officials and District Attorney Deb Ryan’s office to launch an investigation.

Police provided this account of what occurred Monday:

• At 8:30 a.m. , the district received a message from Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s Safe2Say Tip line that an accelerant was in the high school.
• The students were moved to the high school football stadium while a K-9 from the Reading Fire marshal’s office swept the school. Backpacks and bookbags remained in the the building.
• After the students were moved, a second message was reported on the Safe2Say message claiming weapons were on campus.
• An hour later, a series of fights broke out in the stadium.
• Multiple disturbances involving parents who were denied access to the school broke out on Veteran’s Drive.
• Students were dismissed early.
• A total of 37 police departments, the state police and the FBI Alcohol, Tobacco of Firearms and Tobacco responded to the scene.

These additional threats were report against the high school:

• Oct 13: Three separate Safe2Say tips were received about a possible weapon that could be used in an act of violence at the school. Law enforcement officers and a canine unit searched the school. No weapons were found.
• Oct. 7: The district was forced to cancel a homecoming football game after online threats of violence were made and deemed credible by law enforcement. The students were dismissed early from school as a result of the threats.