North Allegheny School Board Safety gets update about security and safety measures

With 12 schools, plus athletic facilities and other district buildings, there’s a lot to keep safe in the North Allegheny School District, said Dan Stack, NA’s manager of school safety.

“I really kind of looked at the district on where we were with things and how we could improve,” said Stack, who started at with the school district two years ago.

Using a common language during emergency situations or standardized responses is critical, he told the North Allegheny School Board during a safety and wellness committee update April 19.

“Standard response protocol utilizes clear common language while allowing flexibility for protocol,” Stack said.

There are five specific steps to follow in the case of a potential threat: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter. They can be employed in any type of event, ranging from severe weather to an outside threat, he said.

The campuses of all North Allegheny schools are closed to the general public during school hours when school is in session, Stack said. Exterior doors don’t open from the outside. And no one from the inside should hold open exterior doors for those outside to enter.

“It sounds rude, but we don’t want to hold the door for anybody,” he said.

Staff and visitors should never prop open exterior doors, which always should be fully shut and latched.

This past year, the board approved locks for interior doors so teachers can lock classrooms from the inside.

Each school is equipped with a RAPTOR system at each entrance that scans the driver’s license of each visitor for a background check. The system also tracks the status of that person’s visit, Stack said.

Schools are required to have a monthly fire drill. Safety drills are substituted for two fire drills. In a safety drill, students practice how to evacuate and how to reverse evacuate — in which students are outside and need to re-enter.

Bus evacuation drills are also conducted.

The district also has safety procedures for students with disabilities.

In an emergency, the district leadership team will be informed first, then all NASD staff; then parents and finally the community, such as the media, according to Brandi Smith, North Allegheny spokeswoman.

NASD has relationships with Franklin Park, McCandless and Northern Regional police departments. Local police and fire departments have toured each building. There is a police presence throughout the district. Canines can be brought in to search the high school if requested, Stack said.

The district meets quarterly with local emergency services, police departments and the administrators of nearby school districts, including Hampton and North Hills, Stack said.

The district also uses Safe2Say Something, an anonymous tipline at 1-844-SAF2SAY. It has Internet filtering and monitoring. Assistant Superintendent Michele Dowell said teachers are trained how to respond if they see something of concern, such as a child in crisis needing help.

The board commended district officials for their updates to parents regarding recent threats to Pittsburgh-area schools that turned out to be hoaxes. Before the hoaxes were determined, North Allegheny placed its schools in hold mode, not allowing visitors without appointments.

“Safety of staff and students has to be paramount and on our minds all of the time,” said school board Director Paige Hardy, who is board chair to the safety and wellness committee.

School board Director Vidya Szykowiak said several community members have requested more police presence in the school district.