Superintendent: Shelter Order Issued At Manchester H.S. Aimed To Head Off Problem

Rumors have been swirling since last week about a confrontation at Manchester Township High School -- including a report of a lockdown.

David Trethaway, superintendent of the Manchester Township School District, said Tuesday that the situation wasn’t nearly as dire as it sounded.

“You say ‘shelter in place’ and everyone thinks the worst,” Trethaway said Tuesday afternoon by telephone. In this instance, it was done out of an abundance of caution.

Trethaway said the situation arose after two students got into a physical altercation in the cafeteria.

“At the same time we received information about an issue outside the school possibly spilling over into the school,” he said. To prevent any issues, school officials ordered the shelter in place while they sorted out the facts, he said.

Trethaway did not have specifics on what the issue was that had transpired outside of school. “All we got was that it occurred outside school,” he said.

“It was better to keep the kids separated” to prevent any confrontations in the hallways, he said.

“The shelter in place keeps them in the classroom and out of the hallways,” Trethaway said, and while they are in class there is still teaching going on, unlike during a lockdown where students would be taking cover.

Manchester Township Police Officer Chris Cerullo, the school resource officer, and additional Manchester Township police officers, responded to the situation and sorted things out.

Once the district had the facts sorted out, it dealt with the students involved, Trethaway said, though he did not say what disciplinary measures had been taken. At that point the school resumed normal activities.

Police remained on school grounds until all students had been dismissed, Trethaway said.