READING, Pa. – Reading School District has provided a statement on a shooting that occurred in the Glenside area of the city Thursday afternoon around the time that students were being dismissed from school.
The statement says that on Thursday at approximately 4:08 p.m., Reading School District’s RKAA Glenside was placed in SECURE action due to police activity in the surrounding area.
The school shared that during a SECURE action, students and staff are brought inside the school, outside doors are locked, and everyone remains in their areas or classrooms until the situation is cleared.
The district additionally said that, as a precaution, school buses were temporarily relocated to a safe distance in accordance with established safety protocols.
The Reading Police Department responded to the incident and issued an all-clear at approximately 4:50 p.m., the school says.
Following the all-clear, the SECURE action was lifted, and buses returned to the school to safely transport students home, district officials say.
The District says they have reviewed video footage after a bus was seen on the street where the shooting happened around the time of the incident.
After reviewing the footage, the district confirmed that all students had been dropped off prior to the bus arriving in the Glenside area. No students were aboard the bus at the time depicted in the footage.
In response to the incident, the District says they have deployed crisis support teams to RKAA Glenside, Northwest Middle School, and Glenside Elementary School to provide assistance and resources to students who may have witnessed or been otherwise impacted by the event.
“The safety, security, and well-being of our students and staff remain the Reading School District’s highest priorities,” district officials said.
“We appreciate the cooperation of our students, families, staff, transportation personnel, and the Reading Police Department throughout this situation,” they added.