January 16, 2026
Dear MASD Families,
Governor Shapiro recently signed into law Act 44 of 2025, which creates a new section of the Pennsylvania School Code titled, “Parental and Employee Notification of Weapon Incidents.” This law took effect on January 6, 2026. Act 44 requires all school districts to notify parents, guardians, and school employees whenever an incident occurs involving the possession of a weapon on school property, school transportation, or at a school-sponsored activity. Unless specific circumstances require otherwise, these notifications must be issued within twenty-four (24) hours of the incident.
MASD will notify employees and parents or guardians of students enrolled in the building where the incident occurred. If a building is located on a shared campus, such as our middle school and high school, the law requires the District to notify employees and parents/guardians of students enrolled in buildings on that shared campus. The District will notify the appropriate group of parents, guardians, and school employees if an incident occurs at a school-sponsored activity or on school transportation.
This new law may result in more frequent notifications, even when the incident does not pose an active safety threat. On the back of this letter is the template with specific headings the district intends to use to create consistency when notifying parents of incidents. We wanted to share this information now so parents have an understanding of the new process. The notifications will not include any personally identifiable student information because of confidentiality laws.
MASD will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners, threat assessment teams, and safety and security personnel. The District has, and will continue to maintain, a comprehensive safety and security infrastructure. The well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we implement these new state requirements.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Bickhart