Penn Hills School Board votes to establish district police department
PENN HILLS (KDKA) - With the first day of school right around the corner, the Penn Hills School District is focusing on safety in classrooms by creating its own school police department.
It's likely the Penn Hills School District will soon have its own police officers walking the halls.
The school board and school administration are looking to hire a police supervisor and at least six officers for the new Penn Hills school police force.
"I want to make sure your kids come to school and learn; I want to make sure they feel safe and comfortable, and they can reach out and talk to anybody. They don't have to be afraid to come to school," said Erin Vecchio, Penn Hills school board president.
Superintendent Nancy Hines said this police force will be an extra layer of protection, as officers from the Penn Hills Police Department will still be protecting the schools too. There are two Penn Hills officers assigned to the high school, one for the middle school and one for the elementary school.
Board President Erin Vecchio said the goal is to add two armed officers to each school as part of the new school police department.
"These people that we will have in the schools will be trained, they will be able to talk to the kids, to relate to the kids," Vecchio said.
Because of recent tragedies in the country, including the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Penn Hills school board members felt it was necessary to create a police force to keep classrooms safe.
"It really solidified the need to have someone there that knows your schools, knows the inside of the building, and are dedicated to the students' and families' safety," said Jackie Blakey-Tate, Penn Hills school board vice president.
The board is waiting for approval from the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, then they'll be able to hire a supervisor who will recommend officers.
The school district will also have guarded booths at campus entrances so they can monitor who's coming onto school property and sign people in who are allowed to enter.
"I think that anyone coming on campus, especially in today's world, should be identified, should have a purpose in being here and not just pop up on campus for any reason," Blakey-Tate said.
Vecchio said they don't want the police force to be a burden on taxpayers. She said Sen. Jay Costa helped them get a grant for over $300,000, which will help them pay for the police force this upcoming school year. The grant is one of many school mental health, safety and security grants provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Vecchio said they will keep applying for more grants.
The police force won't be ready for the first day of school on Aug. 29. The hope is that it will be in place within two to three months.
"That's my job to make sure these kids feel safe, and this is the only way that I feel that the staff and everybody will feel safe, that you actually have armed police in the schools," Vecchio said.
Dr. Hines said if it's approved by a judge, the solicitor will put together a job description for the supervisor position. The board will vote on that at the next meeting, on Aug. 17.
