HARRISBURG – The Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Michele Brooks (R-50) aimed at cracking down on false emergency threats targeting schools.
Senate Bill 96 would establish new felony penalties for individuals who make hoax emergency reports involving educational institutions. If signed into law, making a false report of an emergency threat to a school would be classified as a third-degree felony, with provisions allowing courts to impose financial penalties to recover the costs incurred by taxpayers for emergency response efforts.
“Ensuring the safety of our students, teachers and school staff is of the utmost importance,” said Brooks. “False emergency threats not only cause widespread fear and disruption but also place an unnecessary burden on law enforcement and emergency responders, diverting resources from actual emergencies.”
The legislation comes in response to a troubling increase in hoax threats made against schools across Pennsylvania, causing undue panic among students and parents while straining local emergency services. Today’s vote on Senate Bill 96 comes just two years after multiple schools in Pennsylvania – including Farrell High School in Mercer County and New Castle High School in Lawrence County – were targeted by false emergency threats on March 29, 2023. This underscores the urgent need for stronger penalties to deter these dangerous hoaxes.
“This bill sends a clear message that making false emergency threats is not a prank – it is a serious crime with real consequences,” said Brooks. “I appreciate my Senate colleagues for recognizing the importance of this measure, and I look forward to working toward its passage in the House.”
The bill, which passed the Senate last session, is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen public safety and ensure that threats against schools are met with appropriate legal consequences. It now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
View Brooks’ floor remarks on Senate Bill 96 here.
CONTACT: Fallon Binner