The board put forth a proposal to implement a district-based police force during a workshop session meeting on Oct. 18. The proposal would add 12 armed police officers, one in each of the district’s buildings, and establish a chief of school police, safety and security. The proposal is based on a U.S. Secret Service Analysis that says school resource officers play an important role in school violence prevention. 

The board will vote on the proposal in next week’s legislative session. 

The district would create the police force by hiring certified retired police officers at an estimated total cost of $787,356. 

“We have a responsibility to do everything that we can to keep our kids safe.” 

Superintendent Brendan Hyland said he wants to expand the existing school resource officer [SRO] program so that the district’s elementary and middle schools also have security measures. The current program, introduced in 2018, deploys two police officers from the McCandless Police Department in North Allegheny’s two high schools. 

“We have a responsibility to do everything that we can to keep our kids safe. Moreover, I think families need that sense,” said Hyland.

Proposal gets mixed reactions from board, community members

During Thursday night’s meeting, most school board members expressed support for implementing the police force, although some opposed.

Board member Leslie Britton-Dozier argued community members were not given enough time before the board votes next week and the decision should include heavy community feedback. 

She said she was concerned about the treatment of vulnerable students and students of color by having armed police officers.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Research shows that the presence of SROs or school police officers contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline by amplifying arrests for noncriminal, youthful behaviors, especially among Black students. [/perfectpullquote]

“It is my hope that our colleagues will readily support additional expenditures that address the well-being of our students with the same vigor, experience, energy and urgency that they have for the police department,” said Britton-Dozier. 

Board member Vidhya Szymkowiak said she supports creating a school district police force but she would want the board to adopt a multi-faceted approach to school safety in addition to hiring officers. 

Board members Marcie Crow, Richard McClure and Shannon Yeakel expressed clear support for the proposal. Others were uncommitted or absent

Parents and community members are divided when it comes to creating the district’s personal police force. 

Some parents asked for more transparency about the district’s financial dealings and the introduction of new items on the agenda. 

“My biggest concern was just finding out, in reading an agenda, that the school is planning to create its own police department within the district, without any period of comment to allow parents or the public give an input on this,”  Lynne Williams, a parent with three children in the district told PublicSource before the meeting. 

The district, spanning several North Hills suburbs, has a general fund budget of $193 million and enrolls around 8,500 students. In September, the district announced a plan to eliminate the $10 per-capita tax, levied on every adult residing in the district, for five years. The tax cut will result in a loss of $400,000 in revenue for the district, according to reporting from TribLive. 

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