New Kensington-Arnold increases high school security measures after live round found in bathroom

New Kensington-Arnold School District officials have not figured out how a live firearm round got inside Valley High School two weeks ago, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said Monday.

The district has not changed any policies in response to the Feb. 13 incident, which caused a lockdown of the school that morning, but has responded to it in other ways.

“We have procedurally amped up security measures through screening and attentiveness to detail,” Sefcheck said.

He declined to elaborate further.

A senior student found a 9 mm round in the men’s restroom next to the main office by the cafeteria and took it to an assistant principal. Police searched the school using dogs. The search did not turn up any other ammunition or weapons.

Police also have not determined how the firearm round got into the school, New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said.

“We exhausted all means attempting to find out how the single live round of pistol ammunition ended up in the bathroom,” he said. “Video footage was reviewed for that morning, and all students who used that bathroom were interviewed and checked.”

The district has launched a “discipline task force” between the school board and the teachers union, Sefcheck said.

“It establishes a focus group to determine districtwide discipline issues that could lead to safety or security problems,” he said.

Task force members will be selected this week.

“The whole purpose is to get multiple perspectives from stakeholders,” Sefcheck said.