HAZLETON, Pa. — The hustle and bustle of the Hazleton Area High School halls are a welcome sight this winter after a difficult start to the year for districts across Luzerne and Lackawanna County.
"It disrupts the entire day. It disrupts the educational process within all of our buildings, and it's hard to get the kids back," said Hazleton Area Superintendent Brian Uplinger.
In September, a string of emailed threats happening just days apart disrupted multiple districts for weeks.
Hazleton Area was one that chose not to send students home when those threats were ruled noncredible.
"These are my kids, so I really have to take care of them. These are my staff members; I really have to take care of them and make sure they're as safe as possible. Not evacuating was the safest thing we do," Uplinger said.
Now Pennsylvania lawmakers, like state Senator Lisa Baker, are working to help stiffen the penalties for those who make the threats toward schools.
A bill introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate would upgrade the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.
"It wasn't just the loss of instruction time. It was, really, the terrible impact that parents were sharing that their young kids were feeling—fear to get on the bus," said Sen. Lisa Baker, (R) 20th District.
Sen. Baker also added an amendment to the bill that would expand restitution imposed on offenders, meaning that person would have to pay back the full cost of the evacuations, including overtime pay for teachers, transportation and food costs for the district, and the bill for law enforcement response.
"Just imagine if it were an actual threat that was carried out. That's the kind of thing that the schools have to act every time like it is," Sen. Baker said.
When students are sent home, it's not just a day off. If districts don't make the days up, they don't get funded by the state. So, they're hoping stiffening the penalties will help keep kids a little safer in the halls.
"Everybody else is going to know that as well," Uplinger added. "You're going to be found, especially if it's in writing and sent through the internet. They're going to find you."
Sen. Baker hopes this bill will be advanced in the Senate as a priority bill in the spring.