Coatesville Area Senior High receives another safety threat, forcing protocols at football game

DOWNINGTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The crowd under the Friday night lights looked much smaller than normal at Bishop Shanahan High School against Coatesville Area Senior High.

Earlier in the day on Friday, someone made yet another threat of violence against Coatesville, forcing the change of safety protocols at the football game.

"To ensure the safety of our school community, we limited the crowd size to just two spectators per student-athlete," said Dr. Robert Moran, principal of Bishop Shanahan High School.

The reaction to the limited crowd size was mixed.

"Just watching the trials from the school shootings, I'm glad we're being safe," said parent Rebecca Eberly. "It's better to always be safe than sorry."

"It doesn't make any sense," said Ron Sadasto of West Bradford. "You can't play football without a crowd."

Just yesterday, Coatesville Area Senior High School was put on lockdown after the attorney general's office received three Safe2Say tips about a possible weapon used to commit violence. Police and the sheriff's office investigated and no weapons were found.

"I think it's kids calling in that probably want to get out of school," said parent Rob Eberly. "I don't think there's a lot of credibility to it hopefully but again, you have to take everything seriously nowadays so they're doing the best they can."

And last Friday, Coatesville Area Senior High was forced to cancel its homecoming football game after multiple online threats were deemed credible by law enforcement. Students were dismissed early from school.

"It's unfortunate that we have to take these measures but safety is paramount," said Moran. "The safety of our students and our community is always our top priority."

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said in a statement, "Any person who makes a credible threat to a school in Chester County is on notice that law enforcement takes these extremely seriously and will investigate each one. The safety of students, teachers, and staff at school is of utmost concern, especially given the school tragedies at Uvalde, Parkland, Sandy Hook, and far too many others. We have no choice but to err on the side of caution to ensure everyone's safety. If we determine a threat was made to disrupt school as a joke, we will hold those accountable for their actions and prosecute them. These false reports have caused tremendous hardship and trauma to our students, parents, staff, and law enforcement, and it must stop now."