Governor Shapiro recently signed Act 44 of 2025, which created a new School Code section titled “Parental and Employee Notification of Weapon Incidents.” This new law, effective January 6, 2026, requires school districts to notify parents, guardians, and employees within 24 hours when an incident involving the possession of a weapon occurs on school property, at a school-sponsored event, or while using school transportation. Should such incident occur, Troy Area School District will provide notification via the all call parent notification system.
If the incident occurs at a school building, the District will notify parents or guardians of students enrolled in that building. If the incident occurs at a school-sponsored activity or on school transportation, the District will notify the appropriate population of parents, guardians, and school employees.
Due to state and federal confidentiality laws, these notifications will not disclose personally identifiable student information. Instead, they will provide very basic information regarding the date and location of a reported weapon incident.
In the past, when incidents warranted parent notification, families were informed accordingly. At times, however, discretion was used when responding to situations involving look-alike items (such as toys) or tools not intended to be used as a weapon. The new law may result in more frequent notifications, even in cases that do not pose an active safety threat. This does not mean there is any increased danger in our schools; rather, we are now required to send more frequent notices than we have in the past. Again, an increase in notifications should not be interpreted as a reflection of increased safety issues in our schools.
Please know that the District will continue to work in close collaboration with our school police officers, threat assessment teams, and safety/security personnel. The well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority.
Sincerely,
Brad Feldmeier
Superintendent