Students, police raise concerns over drugs at Penn Wood High School

LANSDOWNE, Pa. (WPVI) -- Students at a Delaware County high school are raising concerns about drug use on campus, saying it has created an unhealthy and distracting environment for learning.

One senior at Penn Wood High School, Ava Leftridge, said marijuana use in school bathrooms has become a recurring problem.

"The bathrooms smell like weed all the time," Leftridge said. "They hotbox the bathrooms and it's really stinky and funky and it's suffocating. I don't smoke. I don't do any of that, and it's not something I want to smell."

The William Penn School District said police were called to the high school six times in March for incidents involving drug paraphernalia.

Investigators say that level of activity has been typical over the past few years.

Lansdowne Borough Police Chief Kenneth Rutherford said officers respond to the school frequently.

"We probably respond to the high school at least twice a week," Rutherford said.

According to Rutherford, most police calls stem from school security discovering a student with a vape device, which often contains marijuana or THC.

"They're picking up on the metal detectors or sometimes there may be an odor of marijuana," he said.

The school district said incidents have decreased over the past school year.

District officials said students are prohibited from having drug paraphernalia on school grounds. Disciplinary measures for students who are caught include parent conferences and intervention programs.

Police said students are also issued a citation.

Rutherford said drug use interferes with students' ability to learn.

"You're supposed to be learning and it's a fog, you can't learn when your brain is distracted by different types of narcotics," he said.

Data from the newsroom's data journalism team indicates the issue extends beyond the William Penn School District. A study published by The Journal of Adolescent Health found that teens who use marijuana are increasingly choosing to vape it. Among 12th graders who admitted to using marijuana in 2024, 67% said they vaped.

Students said the issue is not only distracting but also unhealthy.

"I'm just disappointed to see my peers doing such things. It's not correct at all," said student Abigail Chea.

Leftridge echoed those concerns, saying, "It's just not a good environment for any kid to be around."

The William Penn School District said it has increased security staffing and expanded supervision in hallways and bathrooms in response to the issue.