Enhanced security prompts delays at State High after planned shooting revealed
State College Area High School officials reported delays but no significant issues as students arrived for classes Monday following the arrest of a man who allegedly planned a shooting targeting the school.
In an email late Monday morning, Superintendent Curtis Johnson said State High students passed through metal detectors at each entrance on the school’s campus and offered up their bags, including instrument cases and sports equipment, for inspection.
Delta Program students, meanwhile, were checked over with metal detector wands. State College police provided additional security on the high school campus and throughout the district, Johnson said.
“We want to extend our sincerest gratitude to our students for their patience and to our faculty and staff for their help in expediting the process so that it went smoothly,” Johnson wrote.
School entrance using metal detectors produced significant delays, school officials said, with the last students entering the high school around 9:45 a.m., a little over an hour after first classes begin each day. State High is running on a one-hour delay schedule as a result “to provide the best possible educational opportunities.”
Some students needed to wait on their buses before entering school due to long lines at entrances, Johnson said.
State High plans to use metal detectors and wands again on Tuesday, but the school’s long-term plan remains unclear. Johnson advised students to keep their school IDs handy or available digitally to speed up the entrance process.
“We will continue to be in close contact with the police and keep you updated as new information becomes available,” Johnson wrote.
On Sunday, the district unveiled plans for enhanced security measures and police presence “out of caution.” Johnson emphasized district schools were safe and law enforcement had not found active threats against any school.
A suspect arrested
Braeden Phillips, a 20-year-old man living in Milroy who previously lived in State College, was arrested Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and for carrying a handgun without a license.
According to the criminal complaint, Phillips planned to execute a school shooting around 8:40 a.m. on Monday, April 21, a day after the 26th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. The event was thought to take place near the high school’s main staircase with “bombs” placed inside bathrooms, according to the criminal complaint.
Police said they were informed a “hit list,” identifying individuals to be attacked or killed, was already made. Another juvenile was potentially involved, according to the criminal complaint, and police are continuing their investigation.
Phillips was denied bail as an “extreme danger to the community,” District Judge Casey McClain said at a preliminary arraignment Saturday.
The investigation into Phillips began when a resident under the umbrella of the Centre Youth Service Bureau told staff there of the plans, leading staff to call police. Both State College police and the State College Area School District expressed gratitude to the person for stepping forward and speaking out.
“We are profoundly grateful to this individual for their courage, and we encourage everyone to follow their example in the future,” Johnson wrote.
Anyone with information is asked to contact State College police by calling 814-234-7150, writing an email or submitting an anonymous tip through the department’s website.
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