Brownsville Area School District moves to a remote learning day following early morning break-in
Students in the Brownsville Area School District learned remotely on Thursday after an early morning break-in at the middle school.
According to a letter from Superintendent Dr. Kristin D. Martin to families, an individual broke a window and entered Brownsville Middle School in the early morning hours on Thursday.
After the alarm went off and the district's head of security responded, the suspect fled on foot following a chase, officials said.
"Encountered him inside a teacher's lounge, at which point he exits a window," said Alec Hamilton, director of security. "I follow him, pursue him on foot."
After the break-in, Pennsylvania State Police were notified, and now troopers are investigating. There is no immediate threat to the district, Martin said.
"We understand that incidents of this nature can be concerning, and we want to assure you that we are taking every precaution to ensure the continued safety and security of our students and staff," Martin's letter said. "We remain committed to keeping our community informed as new information becomes available."
Thursday's break-in was the second incident at a district building in as many days. An intruder gained access to the middle school overnight Wednesday, the district said.
Della Thompson is an elementary school parent. She said the thought of sending her two young daughters back to the classroom is overwhelming.
"I don't even want to send them back," Thompson said. "It's scary. They should take at least a week off and get everything situated and try to get more security."
Police aren't saying whether Wednesday's intruder was the same person from Thursday's break-in. In Wednesday's incident, the intruder left the school grounds before authorities arrived.
Classes will resume on Tuesday following Easter break.
