STEELTON, Pa. (WHTM) — Three people housed at the Schaffner Youth Center located in Steelton, Dauphin County left the facility while staff were addressing a diversion during the late evening hours of September 14.

According to Dauphin County press secretary Jennifer Fitch, the three youths, who were housed at the center under juvenile probation court placements, left at approximately 11:45 p.m.

Fitch said that Pennsylvania Department of Human Services regulations do not give the Schaffner Center’s staff members the legal right or ability “to impede the students’ physical movements to leave their assigned units.”

Because of this, she said that staff could only alert local authorities about the youths’ departure in response to the incident.

Fitch says that the daily operations of the Schaffner Center are conducted by Leading Youth For Excellence (LYFE). LYFE officials are currently in ongoing conversations with state officials about shelter policies.