2019 Bethel Park School District
T
SAFETY & SECURITY
he Bethel Park School District
ranks the safety and security
of our students and staff as
our number one priority, and
over the past few years, the
District has worked diligently
to create a comprehensive approach to
providing a safe school environment in
all of our buildings.
All of our schools’ exterior doors are
locked, with visitors required to enter all
of the buildings via the front door, after
buzzing in and sharing photo ID, as well
as stating the purpose for the visit.
The Bethel Park School District was one
of the first districts in the area to employ
a full-time School Police Force, which
includes four 10-month, full-time School
Police Officers and one School Resource
Officer, who is a member of the Bethel
Park Police Department. Our School
Police Force helps to keep our schools
safe by coordinating and enforcing
school security and law enforcement
issues. Additionally, the School Police
Officers help to educate students
throughout the year on a variety of age
appropriate topics.
Our Pennsylvania-certified School
Police Officers have over 100 years
of combined experience in local law
enforcement and as school police
officers in other school districts. They
have the authority to exercise the same
powers granted under authority of
law, including but not limited to: the
issuance of summary citations, as well as
the power to arrest.
School Police Officers are not in our
schools solely to react to situations, but
they are equally there to be proactive,
diminishing the need to be reactive. The
officers are present in all BPSD schools,
working with students to build positive
relationships, and helping to identify and
stem problems before they can escalate.
School Police Officers help to keep the
lines of communication open between
students, families, administration and law
enforcement.
School Police Officers also assist the
District with refining and enhancing its
safety procedures, including reviewing
and updating the individual safety plans
created for each of our schools.
The District aims to create a welcoming
environment for all students with anti-
bullying programs in all schools, as
well as the Best Buddies Program at
Bethel Park High School, to increase
positive communication and interaction
among students and staff members.
Additionally, the District employs Social
Workers in all schools, working with
students to help them with the social
and emotional issues in their lives that
impede their ability to succeed in school.
The District has partnered with the
Municipality and Outreach Teen and
Family Services to provide screening and
mental health counseling for students
(with parental consent), parent training
and professional development for faculty,
which helps to identify and provide
solutions to issues at an early stage.
The Bethel Park School District conducts
a variety of safety drills throughout the
school year, so students and staff can
become familiar with the procedures
associated with each of the scenarios.
These drills include Fire, Weather and
Emergency. While it is our hope that a real
emergency never occurs, these drills are
an effective way to ensure that students
and staff know and can follow the
procedures in an emergency situation.
Bethel Park School District 2019
46
BETHEL PARK
ANNUAL REPORT
The Bethel Park School District
continually trains and reviews with its
staff and students the principles of ALICE
(Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and
Evacuate) in the event an armed intruder
enters a school. These are nationally
recognized protocols for keeping
everyone safe in an active weapons
situation, and are designed to be age
appropriate.
All Bethel Park classrooms are equipped
with emergency supply buckets to
be used in emergency situations until
responders can arrive. The buckets are
filled with medical supplies such as
plastic gloves, bandages and dressings.
The District has received several safety
grants, which have been used to
purchase security-related technology
and equipment, including door locks
and cameras.
The District began bus transportation
for all Bethel Park students in 2018-
2019 to eliminate any traffic dangers
that students may face walking to and
from school.
The District is in the process of equipping
school buses with three cameras to
monitor behavior inside the buses as
well as motorists who violate the state’s
bus arm stop law.
Like all Pennsylvania School Districts,
Bethel Park participates in the Safe2Say
Something anonymous reporting system,
that was launched in 2019 in conjunction
with local law enforcement and the
Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney
General. The program teaches middle
and high school students and staff how
to recognize warning signs and signals
from individuals who may be a threat
to themselves or others, and to “Say
Something” to a trusted adult, call 911 or
use the Safe2Say anonymous reporting
system when they have a concern.