Tamaqua, January 4, 2019 — CeaseFirePA today proudly stood with Tamaqua families to
announce a legal challenge to the Tamaqua Area School District's new policy to arm teachers
and other school personnel.
The Complaint filed yesterday in the Schuylkill County Court of
Common Pleas states, "The board members of the Tamaqua Area School District have exceeded
their authority and endangered their community by enacting School District Policy 705, a
manifestly illegal policy that authorizes guns in the classrooms and lethal force in the halls."
CeaseFirePA and the families believe that this misguided and dangerous policy is in violation of
Pennsylvania law and will make students, faculty and administrators far less safe.
Teachers, students, and parents in Tamaqua concerned about this new policy have worked to
make their voices heard by the Tamaqua Area School District, but the School District has refused
to listen to the data, evidence, and opinions presented by those directly affected by this new
policy.This refusal has resulted in litigation to block this illegal and dangerous policy. The
challenge filed by the families is the second suit to be filed against the School District about this
policy; the first was filed by the Tamaqua Education Association.
Shira Goodman, Executive Director of CeaseFirePA, explained: "We have been working with
the families of Tamaqua since the School District's plan became public. It is telling that the
people who spend the most time in these schools — parents, students and teachers — firmly
believe that the policy is misguided and dangerous. We will stand with teachers, parents and
students to fight this high-risk policy."
Holly Koscak, one of the plaintiffs, was very clear: "As a healthcare professional, I'm not asked
to carry a firearm in a hospital setting. We have professionals trained to do that. My sole
responsibility is the patients' well being. It should be no different for a teacher in a school
setting."
The families are represented by Dechert, a leading global law firm that delivers practical
commercial advice on complex matters and transactions with energy, creativity and efficiency.
A copy of the court filing may be found here: https://www.ceasefirepa.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/01/Koscak-et-al.-v.-Tamaqua-Area-School-District-3.pdf
