Pottstown High School Search Finds Tobacco and Blades

Parents of Pottstown High School students were notified that the school, in an effort to maintain school safety, was performing a search around 8 a.m. Monday of students as they entered the building, according to an email sent from the high school to parents around 1 p.m.

According to the email, the search yielded a box cutter, contraband tobacco items and a razor blade. Here, the school will follow its set discipline procedures for such tobacco items.

According to the email the parents were first notified of the search around 8:10 a.m. via a GlobalConnect message.

According to John Armato, the Pottstown School District Community Relations Director, this was the first time at the high school this year where they conducted the random searches.

“We, just as every other school district, hold as its highest priorities the safety of its students and staff,” said Armato to Patch.com. “We have a number of protocols to ensure that a safe environment is maintained,” he said.

Armato described the search stations where, as students entered, they were asked to empty their pockets, and have metal detection wands pass over them.

The two students who brought the metal items were not a threat to other students, and they did not have the items because they felt threatened in any way, explained Armato.

Just like many schools, said Armato, Pottstown has a district safe-line that parents and students can call if they are concerned about a potentially dangerous or illegal issues. The line can be reached at 610-970-6705.

The Pottstown School District is not the only local district to conduct searches; the Lower Pottsgrove police and a drug-sniffing dog walked the halls of Pottsgrove High School in September, but did not find any illegal drugs.