Cheltenham superintendent summarizes Center for Safe Schools audit, recommends phased security upgrades

Superintendent Dr. Scriven presented a high-level summary of a December 9 safety audit by the Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools and outlined a phased approach to address vulnerabilities at Cheltenham High School and district facilities. "There are areas for consideration," Scriven said, adding the recommendations are "strategic opportunities to mitigate risk." The superintendent said the audit uses CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) principles and that the full, public, approximately 78-page report will be posted on a district website for community review.

Scriven listed baseline metrics for the high school — about 1,400 students, roughly 113 staff and some 315,000 square feet — and said the audit team observed campus activity before school, during the day and at dismissal. He said Phase 1 items are largely procedural and operational: enforcing an existing cell‑phone policy, improving signage and sight lines, pruning landscaping and expanding tabletop exercises and broader training for faculty and staff. "Phase 1 are things that potentially can be addressed immediately," he said.

Phase 2, Scriven said, focuses on tactical hardware and personnel such as panic alarms, updated digital key boxes, protective glazing for vulnerable exterior glass, and consideration of armed personnel. "Some refer to that as a SRO, school police officer," he said, noting that surrounding districts have sworn officers while Cheltenham currently relies on safety officers. He framed the proposal as a recommendation requiring further discussion rather than an immediate change in staffing.

Phase 3 would include larger capital projects to harden entries and create protected vestibules that limit intruder access, as well as audiovisual intercom upgrades at main entries. Scriven emphasized the recommendations are intended to evolve the district’s safety posture from a "standard baseline of safety to a comprehensive resilient security model." He said some Phase 3 items would require design and construction and therefore longer timelines and budget planning.

The superintendent invited questions and said the district will make the full report available online and pursue additional community communication and training. "This is a recommendation... this is something that would need to be unpacked further," he said.

What happens next: Scriven said the district will post the full audit publicly and that the administration will present specific proposals, phasing and budget implications for board consideration before any staffing or capital decisions are finalized.