ALLEGHENY CO., Pa. — Parents in one North Hills school district say they need school resource officers.
Some in the Pine-Richland School District are concerned because their district doesn’t have any, and hundreds of parents have signed a petition to improve safety and security.
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One parent told Channel 11 she pulled her kids out of the district on Wednesday for that reason, and there are others who don’t blame her.
District officials sent this letter to parents in December regarding safety in security, which prompted the debate. In the letter, officials said Northern Regional Police are not classified as resource officers, but that officers are present daily at all six schools in the district -- before, during and after school.
The letter said that presence will also increase, but some parents said that is not enough.
“I just feel like (if) there’s a uniformed armed officer present the entire day while students are there, I think they would be less apt to do something that they shouldn’t,” said parent Heather Goltz.
Below is a map showing schools in our area who employ school resource officers and/or police forces:
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