School safety prioritized by state police as summer comes to end

EBENSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Pennsylvania State Police are amping up school and school bus safety measures as students return from summer break this week.

PSP Troop A will be following school buses as they pick-up and drop-off students this week to monitor for drivers violating school bus safety laws and to remind drivers to stop when the school bus stops.

Drivers that do not adhere to these laws could face a fine of up to $250, have their driver’s license suspended for up to 60 days and receive five points on their driving record.

While local and state police are taking an active approach to student and school safety by partnering with school districts, Trooper Cliff Greenfield with Troop A believes that school safety starts at home.

“Every school should have a student handbook with what items are prohibited. And it’s really important that the parents review those rules with their child or children so the children know ahead of time, ‘These are the things you’re not allowed to bring to school,'” Greenfield said.

State police said one of the biggest safety concerns schools face is cyberbullying. According to Greenfield, parents need to have open conversations about the dangers of social media and their expectations for their kids while using social media or texting.

Greenfield said that in some cases, not following these guidelines and engaging in bullying behaviors can even lead to criminal charges.

Police are also focusing on community policing by letting students know that they’re safe adults students can trust.

“It is very, very important that students have developed some level of trust with their local police, whether it be municipal police officers or state troopers like myself. We need that mutual trust. And the primary way to do that is to actually have face-to-face, one-to-one conversations with young folk,” Greenfield said.

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PSP is also reminding students of the statewide Safe2Say Program that allows students to report safety concerns to their school and officials completely anonymously.

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