Channel 11 sits down with new Penn Hills School District safety director

PENN HILLS, Pa. — On April 24, Penn Hills School Board members announced the district’s new director of school safety, Don Johnson, and on Wednesday Channel 11 News sat down with the former state trooper to learn about his vision for security.

In 2022, Penn Hills School District voted to launch its first-ever police department. The board appointed Fawn Township’s Keith Lazaron, but after a few short months, he resigned, leaving the district’s safety plan in limbo.

Fast forward to two years later, with a new superintendent, John Mozzocio, in place, the school board unanimously appointed Don Johnson. Johnson was approved to serve a three-year contract with an annual salary of $75,000.

“We felt we needed to make a change to have more consistency. We wanted students to have relationships with our security staff each and every day,” explained Mozzocio.

Johnson is a former state trooper with 25 years of law enforcement experience and serves as a local youth basketball coach.

“I’m trying to bring back the entire village mentality; get the parents more involved and get the community involved to make our school system better,” said Johnson.

Superintendent John Mozzocio told Channel 11 News after interviewing more than 40 candidates the decision was clear, Johnson’s ties to the community would help unify the district’s safety plan.

Unlike the former safety plan security guards will no longer be outsourced. Johnson plans to hire 35 security employees, five will be armed and placed inside each district building.

“The staff that will start at the beginning of next year will be district staff. They will be under our wing we feel we need to make a change to have more consistency,” Mozzocio said.

Johnson said in addition to those guards he will continue to partner with Penn Hills police and will create a student-led safety board and is looking into a community advisory board as well.

“We have to just reconnect. I’d like to start a leadership team to get input from the children and tell us how we could do better in making them safe. We must start focusing on the good in our kids and not the bad,” Johnson said.

The new security team will be in place for the Fall 2024 school year.

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