Westmoreland County DA cracking down on school threats impacting local districts

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WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Zicarelli says she’s cracking down on the influx of school threats impacting local districts.

It’s a serious problem and now Zicarelli is taking action, announcing a zero-tolerance policy.

Ziccarelli called the trend alarming and says social media has only exacerbated the problem.

She’s assigned a county detective to be a school safety liaison to help streamline communication during threat investigations.

Ziccarelli says threats are disrupting the educational experience, causing panic and exhausting resources.

She says her office will criminally charge any juvenile or adult who makes a threat against a school district, whether it’s credible or not.

The DA is urging parents to talk to their kids about how serious it is to make a threat as well as reporting or sharing them.

Zicarelli urges anyone who sees a potential threat to report it immediately.

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