Penn Hills School District to replace middle school security guards with youth engagement specialists
Pittsburgh PA June 30 2020
Penn Hills School District officials believe a change in security measures may help improve student behavior at Linton Middle School.
Superintendent Nancy Hines announced youth engagement specialists may replace security guards at the sixth through eighth grade school.
The specialists are expected to come from Pressley Ridge, a Pittsburgh-based organization that offers various counseling and specialized services designed to help children and their families.
The plan is to have seven specialists, two specialists in the halls in each grade level and one roving coordinator.
Hines said they will be able to build relationships with students and staff.
“These are people who are trained to interact with kids,” Hines said. “Kids who have disabilities, kids who have short fuses, kids who are having a bad day. They’ll recognize when something’s amiss.”
A retired police officer, provided by the district’s current security company OSA Global Security, is expected to maintain a security presence in the middle school lobby.
Hines said the officer will help with arrivals, dismissals, address any outside threats and assist visitors coming in to the building.
The security model change is also part of a process of moving from issuing punitive sanctions for disruptive behavior to focusing on root causes of the behavior.
“We think that’s going to give more positive outcomes instead of suspending kids on site (and other discipline),” Hines said. “Hopefully, if it works well, and according to the plan, perhaps we transform security at the high school next year. I think it’s really going to be set up for great success.”
District officials are familiar with Pressley Ridge. They have a couple of therapeutic classrooms at the middle school and high school and help students with special needs.
Addressing middle school student behavior is part of the district’s recovery plan and was discussed at a town hall meeting in March.
About 30 Linton teachers attended the town hall wearing red tops and holding signs that read “Linton Teachers Care.”
Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Matt Edgell spoke on behalf of the teachers union.
He told district officials there that a staff survey showed students need guidance, structure, more opportunities, more resources, more courses and discipline.
Between 700 and 750 students are expected to be enrolled at Linton this coming school year.
It’s a reduction of at least few hundred due to moving fifth grade to the elementary school.
Administrators are still considering three scenarios on how to educate students come August.
One plan would involve bringing all students back to the buildings.
Another would split class time and possibly have students come in a few days a week while continuing distance learning the other days.
The third would keep students out of the schools like they have been since mid-March due to the statewide covid-19 school closures.
Hines said the district plans to send an update on those scenarios to families next week, and make a final decision by Aug. 5.
The first day of class in the 2020-21 school year is scheduled for Aug. 25.
