The following message was sent from Superintendent Helsel to parents Sunday evening,
As all of you are aware, recently there has been a great deal of media attention brought to Blue Mountain School District. This attention was due to social media posts that took comments out of context and misrepresented our actual planned response to armed intruders (particularly with the planned use of stones). This unfortunate circumstance has increased our concern regarding the possibility that something may happen because of the media attention. Starting tomorrow and into the near future, we have arranged for additional armed security for our buildings. We will continue to reevaluate this situation moving forward. Please be assured, the safety of our students and staff is of paramount importance to us.
Superintendent Helsel made headlines across the United States last week after a video surfaced online of him speaking at a State Education Hearing.
At the hearing, Helsel stated that the district has placed buckets of rocks for students to throw as a last resort to an intruder in their schools.
After a story ran from WNEP, social media was buzzing to the point that the story was picked up by National News Outlets such as ABC News and Fox News.