Advertisement School District issues letter to parents of Bethel Park H.S. students explaining today's incident In response to a non-credible threat that resulted in heavy police presence and parents removing students this morning Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Precautionary measures were taken at Bethel Park High School this morning in response to a threat received over the weekend was determined to be non-credible but in order to alleviate rumors among the student body. The school district issued a letter to parents of students at the school in response to the incident (see that letter further below).Pittsburgh's Action News 4's Jackie Schafer spoke with parents who were lined up at the school to pick up their children in order to remove them from school today with proper ID. Several have expressed to her their anger over today's events, stating that they feel it was mismanaged. A police officer at the school who has been answering questions from parents, has stated that today's incident is now being treated as a "training exercise".VIDEO: Watch Jackie Schafer's Evening UpdateVIDEO Watch Jackie Schafer's Noon UpdateNEW! Letter from Superintendent Nancy Aloi Rose to ParentsDear Bethel Park Parent/Guardian:This letter is being sent to clarify what transpired at Bethel Park High School this morning and to assure you that your children’s safety is always our first priority.Late Sunday night, we received information about a rumored threat against the high school. School Police Officer Jim Modrak and the Bethel Park Police Department immediately investigated this threat and found it not to be credible. However, Officer Modrak requested a visible police presence at the high school this morning to reassure students of their safety, including searching students and scanning them with wands.While we were convinced that the threat was not credible, the district must take a firm stance about perceived threats. We want our students and parents to know that we will not take any threats lightly and a full investigation will be conducted. From time to time, we may elect to have increased police presence in our schools. This does not necessarily mean that something bad has happened. It may be a preventative measure, a routine search or even a drill.We have received some comments from parents that we should have notified you of the rumors. This is our ongoing dilemma. While we believe in transparency, it would be an endless task to notify you of the volume of rumors we deal with on a daily basis. There are also times when we cannot share details that might jeopardize an ongoing investigation. However, should there ever be a real emergency, we would notify you immediately and take all necessary precautions to ensure your children’s well being.We ask for your continued support when rumors occur. When your child comes home with a rumor that concerns students’ health or safety, please notify us so that we may check it out as quickly as possible.Today’s experience has provided the District with another opportunity to review our emergency plans and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that we are doing all we can to create and maintain a safe environment, and communicating appropriately with our parents when situations such as this arise.We apologize for any unnecessary concern your family may have experienced today and we thank you for your continued support.It is our hope that things will return to normal tomorrow at Bethel Park High School. Our staff is looking forward to getting back to the business of educating your children in a safe environment. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office.Sincerely,Nancy Aloi RoseEarlier today by Bethel Park School District's spokesperson Vicki Flotta:"On Sunday, October 5, Bethel Park High School Administration received information about a possible threat that was to occur at Bethel Park High School on Monday, October 6.Bethel Park Police Officer Jim Modrak checked out this threat on Sunday evening and determined the threat to not be credible. Because the rumor was circulating among some of the student body over the weekend, Officer Modrak requested increased police presence at Bethel Park High School on Monday morning to assure students of their safety.However, this increased police presence had the opposite effect, causing unnecessary concern among the student body for their safety.Please be assured that this threat was thoroughly investigated and has been determined to be not credible. The safety of our students and staff is the number one priority of the Bethel Park School District.It is our goal to get the school day back to normal as quickly as possible."You can see from the slideshow below; images from Sky 4 of the long lines of parents and students.Mobile users: click here to view slideshow of images from the scene