South Fayette Township School District starts police force

The South Fayette Township School District has created its own police department and hired Michael Ziemianski as its first officer.

Ziemianski, 41, of Canonsburg, is a major in the Army National Guard and has served for the past year as a resource officer with the Fort Cherry School District. He also worked as a patrolman in the Mt. Pleasant Township, Washington County, police department.

“South Fayette is one of the most prominent districts not only in Southwestern Pennsylvania but in the entire state,” Ziemianski told TribLive. “I saw a great opportunity to create a new police department with them, knowing that they’re going to be doing it the right way.”

Superintendent Michelle Miller said the district decided to create its own police department in an effort to better provide a safe learning environment.

“Our past structure was to have an armed security guard in our K-8 buildings with a school resource officer stationed at the high school. This SRO was a township officer that the district funded,” Miller said. “We will continue this same structure, but will have a school police officer in place of a SRO.”

Miller said that, for many years, the district partnered with local police to provide safety in the schools.

“While that collaboration has been valuable, creating our own police department allows us to have an officer who is fully dedicated to our schools and our students every day,” Miller said. “This officer will be present in our buildings, know our students and staff, and be part of our school family.”

Ziemianski will take on the state requirements that accompany the role of safety and security coordinator, Miller said, and he will oversee the district’s security officer and be a consistent liaison to township police.

Ziemianski said his priority is safety and security first to enable students to learn best.

“I am motivated to incorporate my experience and expertise with the well-established processes and protocols of the school district,” Ziemianski said. “I can already tell that it is going to be a pleasure to work with the South Fayette community in ensuring the safety of the schools.”

A 2003 graduate of Bethel Park High School, Ziemianski earned an associate’s degree in business from the Valley Forge Military Academy; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and master’s degree from Argosy University, both in business administration.

He said his goal is to improve upon the already-strong safety and security measures at South Fayette, be a welcoming and trusted face among students, faculty and the community and to make the district’s schools the safest in the state.