Shaler Area parents, administration talk increased security at school board meeting

At the first meeting of the Shaler Area School Board following an incident on Jan. 30 where a student brought a handgun on a school bus, tempers were mild as parents and administration discussed safety measures.

The meeting took place in the Shaler Area Middle School library, a bigger venue than the usual administration chambers, and dozens of chairs were set for potential attendees. In the end, the meeting only drew two speakers to the podium with a modest crowd behind them.

Shaler Area Superintendent Bryan O’Black opened the meeting to say that the administration had begun visiting other districts with metal detectors and weapons detection systems to see how they may be implemented in Shaler. Though he would not say which districts were visited, he said the administration wanted to be “thoughtful and deliberate” in its decision making.

O’Black also said he had spoken to several families individually and in groups since the incident to gather community insight, saying he “valued nothing more” than student safety.

“We are taking family concerns very seriously, and we’re continually evaluating our safety measures across the district,” he said.

Speaking for about 30 seconds, Shaler Area parent Jennifer White said she had a “really constructive” conversation with O’Black, but she wanted to be sure the district will act.

White created a petition that implored the district to increase security measures. As of Feb. 12, it had garnered 740 signatures. After the meeting, she said she expected more people to share their thoughts with the board, although she believes things are “progressing really well.”

“We realize these things can’t be done overnight, but we want to be sure that something is going to be done,” White said.

The only other speaker, Kati Maas-Crawford, a Shaler parent and a teacher outside the district, urged the board and administration to install metal detectors.

Maas-Crawford spoke about her experiences working in Pittsburgh Public Schools and her safety concerns should a similar incident occur again in Shaler.

“I know that the school district cannot control what happens outside its doors, but it can control what comes in the doors. It truly is better safe than sorry,” she said.

The 16-year-old suspect who allegedly brought the handgun on the bus was later arrested by Millvale police and turned over to Allegheny County authorities.

O’Black said he could not give a concrete timeline for any new security features, but he said the administration’s work would continue.