Kiski Area addresses student safety concerns at intermediate school, plans to hire additional resource officer
The Kiski Area School District is collaborating with Allegheny Township officials in an effort to help curb ongoing safety issues at Kiski Area Intermediate School.
“Since the return to normal in-person education (after the pandemic), we’ve seen a dramatic increase in fighting as well as other less-than-positive interactions,” said Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher. “It seems like people just forgot how to get along with each other.”
Allegheny Township supervisors unanimously voted Monday to approve the hiring of an additional full-time school resource officer to expand the Kiski Area School Resource Officer Program.
The yet-to-be hired new SRO will share duties between the Intermediate School and Kiski Area High School, where resource officer Cpl. Charity Hollis already works.
Kiski Area employs two full-time police officers: Hollis and her husband, Ken, who is based at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School.
Currently, the district pays 75% and the township pays 25% of each officer’s salary.
The salary for the new SRO, including benefits, is $70,533, with the district paying $52,900 and the township paying the remaining $17,633.
“The district will cover nine months, and we (township) will cover three months, so, in essence, it’s a 75/25 split,” Primm said.
Charity Hollis was hired as the district’s first resource officer in 2014. Ken Hollis was hired in 2018.
A school resource officer is a sworn police officer from a local jurisdiction who counsels, protects and teaches the education community.
Duties include building relationships among administration, students and staff and working together to solve problems.
Charity Hollis frequently sits with students and shares lunch with them at school.
Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic said nicotine use is an issue facing a majority of school districts nationwide.
“Vaping is the biggest issue,” Slavic said. “The priority for the district is to continually increase the district’s safety, both the physical safety of our school community and mental health safety.”
Fisher said Hollis held more than 80 consultations in May related to discipline issues with students at the intermediate school.
“These opportunities to meet on a personal level with the students increases understanding and reduces the changes of having to push preventable matters further into an already burdened legal system,” Fisher said.
At Kiski Area, first-time vaping offenders are offered the opportunity to take a tobacco resistance-themed class presented by a representative from Adagio Health.
Subsequent charges to a student result in summary charges being filed in district court, Fisher said.
“I can say that the intermediate school, as of the return from the pandemic, has disproportionately occupied Cpl. Hollis’ time, compared to the high school,” Fisher said. “While the addition of an SRO will clearly add a level of protection and a safety presence, the true value lies in the relationships that officer cultivates with the students, families and faculty.”
Supervisor James Morabito said hiring another full-time SRO in the district is necessary.
“With such a vast number of students in both schools, it’s almost impossible for Hollis to be at both locations,” Morabito said. “Cpl. Hollis is an outstanding officer, and she’s done an exemplary job as SRO at Kiski Area High School.”
Supervisor Michael Korns said he is pleased to see the resource officer program growing.
“We’ve had a very successful partnership with KASD to provide a safety resource officer at both the high school and intermediate school. Given the heightened concern for student safety, I’m happy that we’ll be adding another officer at the intermediate school. I’d like to express my appreciation to Dr. Slavic and Chief Fisher for their efforts to make this happen,” Korns said.
Assistant Superintendent John Lohr attended Monday’s meeting and thanked the supervisors for their support.
Lohr said the district expects to hire someone as soon as possible so they are ready to begin when school resumes in August.
Supervisor Ren Steele did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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