Campus Safety » Campus Safety

Campus Safety

As one of Bethel Park School District's guiding principles, safety is at the forefront of everything we do. As a school district, we are committed to maintaining a safe and secure learning, living, and working environment for our students, faculty, and staff.

 

Bethel Park School Police Force
 
 
 
The Bethel Park School District employs three 10-month, full-time School Police Officers and one School Resource Officer, who is also 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, such as underage drinking, retail theft, safe driving education, and substance abuse.

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.
 
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 the authority of law, including but not limited to the issuance of summary citations, as well as the power to arrest.

Additional BPSD School Police Force Information:

Emergency Preparedness:

Bethel Park has a designated Incident Management Team consisting of administrators and campus safety, medical, and mental health services personnel. Emergency drills are conducted regularly at each campus, including monthly fire drills and annual evacuation and lockdown drills. All faculty and staff are trained in the Run, Hide, Fight active shooter response protocol.

Mental Health Services:

Mental health services play a critical role in identifying and supporting students who may be struggling with emotional or behavioral issues. Bethel Park is widely considered a leader among Western Pennsylvania schools with full-time licensed counselors on staff at each campus of the secondary buildings who offer consultative services to their students. BPSD also employs social workers to help ensure that all students have someone to turn to in times of trouble. Our counselors maintain an open-door policy, where students can drop in to discuss academic and/or personal issues within the boundaries of confidentiality. The school counselors are part of a comprehensive student support team that also includes faculty advisors, learning specialists, and school nurses, all of whom are committed to the social and emotional growth and overall health and well-being of every Bethel Park student.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the district's police department office at 412.854.8730 Ext. 8730. You can also email them at [email protected]. Please include the school you are writing about as part of your message. 

Meet our School Police Force:

Officer Chris Gawlas
 
Officer John Remark
 
Officer Mitch Welsh
 
School Resource Officer Ken Radinick
Campus/Building Security & Visitors:

All school buildings are locked, and security cameras are installed on each campus. Faculty and staff are issued fob building access credentials. Visitors must check in at a designated school office and present photo ID to be screened by our Raptor Visitor Management System and receive a visitors' badge. Large events such as athletic contests, concerts, lectures and parents' nights are staffed by campus safety personnel.

Emergency Reporting & Communications:

Faculty and staff use the Raptor Alert App to report campus and medical emergencies to Bethel Park's Incident Management Team. BPSD uses the ParentSquare school-to-home notification system to quickly communicate emergency information to parents, students, faculty, and staff via phone, text, email, and social media. Students in grades 6-12 and faculty/staff are also trained to use the PA state attorney general's Safe2Say Something anonymous reporting system to submit tips to local authorities about potential threats to the school.