Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers calls for more aides after student accused of assaulting staff

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers now calling for more safety aides inside of the building after a Pittsburgh Public School student assaulted at least four teachers or staff members at his school.

“There does need to be a security aid at least in every one of our schools,” Billy Hileman, the President of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, said.

>> PPS student charged, accused of assaulting ‘at least’ 4 school employees

That call for help after a violent assault at Oliver Citywide Academy’s Greenway Campus.

Channel 11 told you this week when police charged Qvawn Rembert-Leonard, 18, for allegedly throwing a teacher across the classroom, punching another teacher in the jaw, and wrestling and choking two more. The teen was released from jail shortly after.

“Pittsburgh Public Schools can’t do everything for every child or young person,” Hileman said.

The union says the district needs more support from other agencies.

“There has to be a system that supports the mental health needs of some of our students that Pittsburgh Public Schools isn’t going to be capable of doing,” Hileman said.

Police said the violent incident happened in a school with students as young as kindergarten. This fall Oliver Citywide Academy was separated into four satellite campuses after two murders on school grounds.

The largest group of students was moved to Greenway.

Greenway houses the district’s gifted program K-8, the Classical Academy 6-8, and now Oliver Citywide students in K-12.

Tyrique Walker’s first and seventh graders attend Greenway for gifted classes.

He had no idea 18-year-olds were at the school and said he was not notified about the attack.

“Never notified about the change I’m not sure what we would have done but as far as the transparency goes, I hate to say it there was none,” said Tyrique Walker, a parent in the district.

He questions if the school has the resources needed.

“Raises concern that do they have the manpower to handle the additional students,” Walker said.

Channel 11 News reached out to the district to see if that student, who is now released from jail, would be returning to the school. The district did not respond.

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