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Act 44 Notifications

During the 2025-2026 school year, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 44 of 2025. This law, which went into effect on January 6, 2026, requires all Pennsylvania schools to notify families and staff when an incident involving a weapon occurs in a school building, on school transportation, or during a school-sponsored activity.

What You Need to Know

  • Targeted Notifications: Notifications will be issued based on the incident's location. Given their close proximity, an incident at the High School will trigger notifications for both High School and Elementary School families.  

  • 24-Hour Timeline: In most cases, these notifications must be sent within 24 hours of the incident.

  • Privacy First: To protect student privacy, notifications will contain only general information—such as the date and location—and will never include student names or identifying details.

  • Communication Channel: We will use our standard emergency notification system (the same one used for weather delays and cancellations) to share these updates.

Why You May See More Notifications

It is important to understand that this law may lead to more frequent alerts, even in situations that do not pose an active threat.

In the past, the District used discretion for items unintentionally brought to school, such as toy look-alikes or a small pocketknife left in a backpack. Under Act 44, these situations now require a formal notification.  

Please Note: An increase in messages does not mean our schools are less safe; it is simply a reflection of our compliance with these new legal requirements.

How You Can Help

Families can help reduce the need for these notifications by regularly checking backpacks, jackets, and sports bags, and by reminding students that prohibited items are not allowed on school grounds or buses.

If you ever have a safety concern, please notify the school immediately or report it through Safe2Say Something at 1-844-723-2729.

The Lehighton Area School District remains committed to working with our School Police Department and threat assessment teams to keep our schools safe. The well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority.