A member of the Knoch High School boys' soccer team is in custody after school officials say he possessed a firearm on school property in Saxonburg, Butler County. Superintendent Melissa Grantz notified staff, parents and guardians Tuesday, saying the district is taking disciplinary action to keep the student from returning to Knoch School District.
According to WPXI, the investigation began Monday, and Grantz said the district obtained information indicating the student had a firearm on school property. Grantz's letter also noted the initial report placed the alleged gun possession at a local athletic club, though the district says it later determined the weapon was on school property itself. The student was taken into custody, per Grantz, and the district says it is working with police and will participate in the ongoing juvenile proceedings.
Grantz wrote that Knoch School District takes all reports involving weapons seriously, a stance reflected in the district's own written policy. Per the same account, the district began its own investigation into whether the firearm had actually been on school grounds once the initial report surfaced.
What State Law Says About Weapons on Campus
Pennsylvania treats firearm possession on school property or school transportation as a serious criminal matter for anyone accused, regardless of age. Under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 912, the offense is graded as a first-degree misdemeanor carrying a potential penalty of up to five years, according to FindLaw, though the statute does allow limited affirmative defenses, such as authorized participation in a supervised school activity.
Because the accused is a juvenile, any criminal case would move through the Butler County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division and Juvenile Probation, according to Butler County government. That system is built around rehabilitation and community protection, with probation restrictions specifically addressing firearm access, but Pennsylvania juvenile proceedings remain confidential, meaning the public may never see the specific charges filed against the student.
A Mandatory Expulsion Process Now Likely Ahead
Separate from any criminal case, Pennsylvania's Public School Code imposes its own consequence. Section 13-1317.2, enacted under Act 26 of 1995, mandates a minimum one-year expulsion for any student found to have possessed a weapon on school grounds, as explained by the Education Law Center. Superintendents do retain discretionary authority to recommend modifications to that expulsion on a case-by-case basis, but the statute sets a high floor.
Knoch's own Board Policy 218.1 strictly prohibits weapons on district property and requires immediate parental and law enforcement notification, along with formal due-process expulsion hearings and annual reporting of weapon incidents to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. That policy was updated as recently as April to align with state reporting requirements, according to district records. Grantz's letter to families indicates the district is already moving toward the maximum administrative exclusion allowed under that framework.
Open Questions and District Leadership
Several details remain unresolved. It is not publicly known whether a Safe2Say Something tip — Pennsylvania's statewide 24/7 anonymous reporting program run through the Office of Attorney General — initiated the investigation, whether the firearm was loaded, or what specific criminal charges, if any, local or state police have filed against the student. Safe2Say Something requires school entities and local emergency dispatch centers to coordinate on assessing exactly this kind of weapons tip, but the dossier of public reporting does not confirm its role here.
Grantz took office as Knoch superintendent on July 1, succeeding longtime superintendent David Foley, after previously serving the district since 2008 as a teacher, coach, high school principal and assistant superintendent. Knoch High School itself is led by Principal Kurt Reiser, who took over in May 2025 and helped unveil a new student commons and cafeteria in February of that year as part of an ongoing $39 million campus renovation. The district, formerly known as South Butler County School District before a 2022 name change, serves roughly 1,000 to 1,200 high school students across Saxonburg Borough and several surrounding townships.
This is not the first time Knoch schools have faced a security scare. In October 2022, the district went into a modified lockdown and temporarily canceled after-school programs while state police and local law enforcement investigated potential safety threats against district facilities, according to CBS Pittsburgh. As with this week's incident, district officials at the time worked alongside law enforcement to assess the credibility of the threat before resuming normal operations.
