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District updates police MOU to require ongoing collaboration during threat assessments
Summary
Whitehall-Coplay School District updated its memorandum of understanding with the Whitehall Township Police to reflect new Pennsylvania School Code language requiring ongoing collaboration in threat assessment; staff said live‑stream access remains controlled by the district and will be enabled only in emergencies via designated liaisons.
The Whitehall-Coplay School District presented a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Whitehall Township Police to comply with recent changes to the Pennsylvania School Code that require ongoing collaboration with local law enforcement during the threat‑assessment process.
At the meeting the district’s representative said the new MOU adds language mandating continuous collaboration with the police rather than post‑incident consultation. The district confirmed that automatic live‑stream access to school video would not be provided to police; district staff control activation and would grant access only during an emergency, coordinated through designated liaisons (Officer Carter or Officer Chrisman). The presenter said the MOU updates are required by law and must be completed by June 30.
Why it matters: the changes formally document ongoing coordination between district threat‑assessment teams and the local police department, clarify operational processes for access to district systems in emergencies and reflect compliance steps ahead of federal and state monitoring of school safety protocols.
What was decided: the board reviewed the revised language and will move the updated MOU forward in the policy process; staff said they would ensure the document includes limited, emergency‑only access procedures and named liaisons who will manage requests from law enforcement.
What remains open: board members asked for confirmation about who may enable live feeds and how the district will document access in emergencies; staff committed to follow up with specific procedural language and to bring the final MOU back to the board.
