North Penn hiring investigator for Pennbook Middle School Stanley cup assault

The North Penn School District anticipates finalizing a contract this week with an independent investigator who will conduct a comprehensive examination of an attack in a school cafeteria that left a student seriously injured.

The measure is one of a list of pending actions the district has proposed following an April 17 assault at Pennbrook Middle School in North Wales where a 13-year-old student beat another with a steel Stanley-brand mug.

The 12-year-old victim was struck repeatedly with the Stanley cup in the back of the head and was taken to a hospital and received staples to close a head wound. Employees contained the attacker and the school was briefly placed in lockdown.

Parents angrily confronted school officials the day after the assault at a school board meeting demanding answers and alleging the district failed to take action after parent warnings of an impending confrontation.

In a community update Friday, Superintendent Todd M. Bauer announced the “priority commitments” the district has immediately undertaken in response to the attack. More details will be provided at the April 29 Safe Schools Committee meeting.

“I have spent much of the past week listening to concerns and addressing issues, rumors, and questions,” Bauer wrote in the update. “I have had phone conversations and meetings with parents, staff, students, board members, local law enforcement, security experts, and local and national legislators in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the incident and to make sure that we take every step to prevent something like this from ever happening again in a North Penn School District building.”

Here is what we know about what actions the district has taken so far.

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What steps has North Penn School District immediately taken since Pennbrook Middle School assault

In addition to moving forward with hiring a third-party investigator to examine the incident and provide analysis and recommendation:

• Additional counselors and emotional support will be available at Pennbrook Middle School for students.  Student listening sessions are also being planned to take place district wide in May. The sessions are to give administration a better understanding of additional resources that are needed to make schools safe spaces.

• A Safe Schools Forum is scheduled for May 14 starting at 6 p.m. at the North Penn High School, 1340 Valley Forge Road, Lansdale and live streamed. The event will provide an opportunity to in-person and virtual questions to a panel of district employees and safety experts.

• Finalizing plans for the creation of student safety committees at each district school building before the end of the school year. The committees will meet monthly with building leaders to share concerns, questions and recommendations to improve school safety and climate.

• The district is working with Montgomery County School Safety Coordinator Beth Sanborn to provide consultation services on the district’s current school safety measures.

What other steps is North Penn planning to take to create safer schools?

• Professional development for administrators regarding consistent and industry-leading investigative procedures. This training will be conducted by a nationally certified trainer and a former secret service investigator.

• Requested that local police departments provide more regular visits to school buildings.

• All schools will provide refresher training on Safe2Say, the anonymous tip line that sends leads directly to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, administration, security, and the superintendent.

• The district is partnering with the Center for Effective Schools for trauma-informed professional development for staff and community members.

• A solution-oriented group of parents, students, and local leaders will be brought together to further identify areas for improvement.

How can parents and the community follow North Penn’s progress with implementing promised changes?

An update on progress will be provided by Bauer and the district’s coordinator of emergency management and safe schools at the monthly public Safe School Committee meetings.

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What is the North Penn School District Safe Schools Committee?

The panel includes North Penn school board members and administrators.  The meetings are held monthly and they are similar to regular school board meetings in that community members can make public comments.

Has North Penn addressed parent reports that school officials were warned about pending middle school assault ?

Not yet. But the district will be answering questions at the April 29 School Safety Committee meeting about whether parents and students warned about a potential attack hours before it happened, reports the alleged attacker had a “hit list,” and the student status of the alleged attacker, according to district spokeswoman Christine Liberaski.

Can I watch the North Penn School District Safe Schools meetings online?

Yes. The April 29 meeting starts at 5:45 p.m in-person at the North Penn High School 1340 Valley Forge Road, Lansdale. To watch online and/or register for the Safe Schools Committee meeting, click here.

What is going to happen to the alleged attacker?

The student has been charged as a juvenile with aggravated and simple assault and reckless endangering, according to Upper Gwynedd police. Since the student is charged as a juvenile, the name is not public.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office did not release any additional information about the suspect because the matter is proceeding in juvenile court.

Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy confirmed a juvenile petition has been filed, but the case has not yet been adjudicated.  When juveniles are adjudicated delinquent, it is the equivalent of being found guilty in adult court.

Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: North Penn investigates, makes changes after Stanley cup attack