Once again, Warren County School District officials and local police agencies are chasing their tail over threats to district school buildings.

It must stop — and we think legislation that has passed the state Senate but is waiting for action in the state House of Representatives could help. Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Greenville and formerly one of Warren County’s two Senate representatives, sponsored Senate Bill 96, a bill that 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.

Knowing all threats are not made equal, we would offer one tweak to Brooks’ bill to create a mental health component to the bill. While some hoaxes are simply for kicks, others are the result of legitimate mental health issues. Allowing a lesser charge in those cases but also requiring mental health treatment would bring a little bit of needed balance to Brooks’ proposal.

Pennsylvania has a lot of issues that need state legislators’ attention. But Brooks’ bill should be acted upon. Consider the case of Warren, which Gary Weber, Warren County school superintendent, said had nearly 100 threats between August 2024 and March 2025 and saw at least four threats made public within the first few weeks of school this year. Not only are threats taking school administrators’ time away from the business of education and tying up our limited police officers’ time to make sure there is no risk to students and staff, many students’ education is suffering because parents don’t feel comfortable sending their child to school.

“Attendance is down considerably today even though there is no threat,” Weber said last week after three unfounded threats in less than 24 hours. “Now they’re (the absent students) are not getting their education today. Fear (of being in school) is being created where there is no danger.”

Enough is enough. There have to be consequences for this type of behavior, and Brooks’ bill is an attempt at doing just that. It should move in the state House regardless of other political considerations. If it does, Gov. Josh Shapiro shouldn’t waste a day before signing the bill.