Student behavior praised in wake of threats, shutdown in Butlers school district
BUTLER TWP — Butler Area School District administrators have not yet scheduled a makeup day after canceling classes Thursday, Sept. 12, but law enforcement is looking into the online threats that led districts to initiate lockdown protocols and cancel classes.
Brian White, superintendent of the district, said Monday, Sept. 16, during a community engagement session at Butler Senior High School, that the district is cooperating with law enforcement to respond to the threats, communicated last week via Snapchat.
Butler Senior High School operated on a modified lockdown Wednesday, but White said that day he didn’t believe the threat was legitimate. He said he learned during the course of that day a social media post originated outside of the district and was copied on to students’ social media feeds. Threats received over Wednesday night naming the high school and Butler in general caused the district to cancel classes entirely Thursday.
Other school districts, including Seneca Valley and Slippery Rock Area school districts, enacted similar protocols in response to the online threats. The FBI office in Pittsburgh is working with other law enforcement agencies to address the recent threats that have reached multiple school districts in the region.
Although online threats have disrupted school for students across the district, White said the students’ behavior has been “outstanding” this year. At this part of the school year in 2022, the district was dealing with bullying and other misconduct from middle and high school students, which White said has not been a pressing issue since school began Aug. 28.
“The kids’ behavior has been excellent this year,” White said.
Praise for student behavior was a constant theme of the presentation at the meeting Thursday, delivered by principal Jason Huffman.
Huffman said 11th-grade students last year helped redesign some spaces in the high school, complete with furniture and décor, which has led them to become more invested in the building itself. The completion of the school’s new wing last year has allowed the district to rethink space at the school, and Huffman said feedback from students has helped make common spaces more appealing and optimal for learning.
“When they help design the space, they respect it, they have buy in to it, and the engagement piece almost naturally starts to take care of itself,” he said. “Students want to beautify the building; they want to create the appearance.”
Huffman also said the school created a “behavioral matrix” and an “opportunity matrix,” which administrators shared with students and parents to deter bad decision-making and promote positive actions by illustrating each of their consequences.
White said the school board may schedule a special meeting to take place before the October school board meeting to discuss contract matters.
