As a father, I understand the concern that comes with sending your child off to school each day. We trust that our schools are doing everything they can to keep students safe. But when serious incidents happen, especially those involving weapons, families deserve to be informed quickly and directly.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case in Pennsylvania. Too often, parents and school staff learn about dangerous situations days or even weeks after they occur, sometimes through the media instead of from the school itself. That kind of delay doesn’t just create confusion; it undermines trust and puts safety at risk.

That’s why I introduced Senate Bill 246, which was signed into law Nov. 6 as Act 44 of 2026. This new law requires schools to notify parents, guardians and school employees within 24 hours whenever a weapon is brought onto school property, a school bus or to a school-sponsored event.

Before this law, schools were only required to report such incidents to the Department of Education if the student was expelled, and even then, they didn’t have to explain that the expulsion involved a weapon. That meant many serious situations and important details went unreported to the very people who needed to know, families and staff.

I introduced this legislation after a troubling incident in the Parkland Area School District in April 2023. A fourth-grade student brought a knife to school with the intent of harming another child. The public didn’t learn about it until a week later, when the Pennsylvania State Police issued a report. That delay could have had serious consequences, and it’s not an isolated case.

In Allentown, William Allen High School went into lockdown in September 2022 after reports of gunfire at a nearby park. It was later revealed a 14-year-old student had entered the school with a loaded semiautomatic handgun. Parents weren’t told the full story until days later.

These examples reflect a broader pattern of delayed or incomplete communication that undermines trust between schools and the communities they serve. Act 44 is designed to change that.

The law doesn’t dictate how schools must communicate. It gives districts flexibility to use the method most likely to reach parents and staff; whether that’s a phone call, text, email or another form of outreach. What matters is that the message gets out quickly and clearly.

This isn’t about blaming teachers or administrators. I served on the Parkland School Board, and I know how committed the vast majority of our educators are. This is about giving parents the information they need to protect and support their children. It’s about restoring trust and ensuring that schools are accountable to the communities they serve.

I’m proud Act 44 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: 48-2 in the Senate and 202-1 in the House. That kind of unity is rare, and it shows that school safety is something we can all agree on. When schools communicate openly and promptly, they build trust and they make our communities safer.

Transparency is the foundation of accountability. And accountability is the first step toward safer schools.

This law is a step in the right direction, but there’s more work to do. We need to continue strengthening school safety and ensuring that parents are treated as partners in their children’s education, not as afterthoughts. When it comes to our kids, there’s no room for secrecy. Families deserve to know what’s happening in their schools. They deserve honesty. They deserve action.

With Act 44, Pennsylvania is leading the way. And I’ll keep fighting to make sure no parent is ever left in the dark again.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-16th, represents parts of Lehigh and Bucks counties.