Cheltenham School District outlines security changes after CHS intruder incident
October 22, 2025 | Cheltenham SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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Cheltenham School District officials described an Oct. 8 incident at Cheltenham High School in which a former student entered the building, triggered a fire alarm and then fled the campus; police later arrested the individual and found an airsoft gun in his backpack.
Mr. White, a district staff member who presented the account to the Educational Affairs Committee, said the former student entered the high school through an exterior door on the bus platform, walked past an ID kiosk, sprayed a strong odor, then pulled a pull-station that activated the fire alarm. “At approximately 10 a.m., Lieutenant Schafer of the Cheltenham Police Department contacted me and advised me that they had [the person] in custody,” White told the committee, and “upon his arrest and a log-in search they discovered in his backpack that he had an airsoft gun that was painted to resemble a real firearm.”
The district said the incident has prompted immediate operational changes while an ongoing investigation continues. White said the district has increased faculty and staff presence at all high-school entry points, is requiring students to use their ID at kiosk swipes rather than keying codes, and is arranging a third‑party review of safety plans. “The first building that’s going to have the assessment done will be the high school,” White said, referring to the district’s planned contract with the Center for Safe Schools.
The district also reported steps aimed at bus safety. Dawn Woods, the district’s transportation supervisor, has spoken with the bus operator to require additional safety training, and the operator’s general manager has told drivers to be more vigilant at stops and to call police when an unknown person is boarding or refusing to leave a bus. White said the transportation vendor agreed to additional driver training.
Committee members asked how students could report concerns anonymously. The district directed residents to Safe2SayPA (safe2say.pa.gov), the statewide anonymous tip system, and repeated that the investigation details could not be shared publicly during the active inquiry. When a community member asked why the same student had not been prosecuted earlier for an earlier device, a district representative said, “We can’t answer that question” in the meeting.
Next steps described to the committee include the Center for Safe Schools assessment of the high school, additional bus-safety training, continued use of photo-ID kiosk checks, and follow-up reports to the board when the third-party recommendations are available. The district said the assessment vendor was booked through November and that December was the earliest available date for the on-site evaluation.
The committee did not take a formal vote in the meeting; the measures described were presented as administrative and operational actions to be implemented while the police investigation continues.
Mr. White, a district staff member who presented the account to the Educational Affairs Committee, said the former student entered the high school through an exterior door on the bus platform, walked past an ID kiosk, sprayed a strong odor, then pulled a pull-station that activated the fire alarm. “At approximately 10 a.m., Lieutenant Schafer of the Cheltenham Police Department contacted me and advised me that they had [the person] in custody,” White told the committee, and “upon his arrest and a log-in search they discovered in his backpack that he had an airsoft gun that was painted to resemble a real firearm.”
The district said the incident has prompted immediate operational changes while an ongoing investigation continues. White said the district has increased faculty and staff presence at all high-school entry points, is requiring students to use their ID at kiosk swipes rather than keying codes, and is arranging a third‑party review of safety plans. “The first building that’s going to have the assessment done will be the high school,” White said, referring to the district’s planned contract with the Center for Safe Schools.
The district also reported steps aimed at bus safety. Dawn Woods, the district’s transportation supervisor, has spoken with the bus operator to require additional safety training, and the operator’s general manager has told drivers to be more vigilant at stops and to call police when an unknown person is boarding or refusing to leave a bus. White said the transportation vendor agreed to additional driver training.
Committee members asked how students could report concerns anonymously. The district directed residents to Safe2SayPA (safe2say.pa.gov), the statewide anonymous tip system, and repeated that the investigation details could not be shared publicly during the active inquiry. When a community member asked why the same student had not been prosecuted earlier for an earlier device, a district representative said, “We can’t answer that question” in the meeting.
Next steps described to the committee include the Center for Safe Schools assessment of the high school, additional bus-safety training, continued use of photo-ID kiosk checks, and follow-up reports to the board when the third-party recommendations are available. The district said the assessment vendor was booked through November and that December was the earliest available date for the on-site evaluation.
The committee did not take a formal vote in the meeting; the measures described were presented as administrative and operational actions to be implemented while the police investigation continues.
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