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Piccola's Safe Schools Legislation the Focus of Public Hearing
HARRISBURG -- The
Senate Education Committee heard testimony today from Dauphin County's District
Attorney and police chiefs on Senate Majority Whip Jeffrey E. Piccola's (R-15)
legislation -- Senate Bills 965 and 966 -- to reform Pennsylvania's Safe Schools
Law by revising the state's school violence reporting system and enforcing
tougher school hiring policies.
Piccola's legislation is
based upon a Dauphin County Grand Jury Report in 2005 which uncovered
underreporting of arrests and incidents of violence by the Steelton-Highspire
High School and which also found that Pennsylvania's existing background check
law for school employees is inadequate. The Grand Jury called on the General
Assembly to take action to address deficiencies in the law.
In his opening remarks,
Piccola noted that there was a time when parents could feel confident about the
safety of their children while in school, "but times have changed and
Pennsylvania's laws need to change with them. We owe it to our students,
teachers, and parents to do all we can to ensure safe classrooms in our
Commonwealth's schools. We took an important step in that direction with our
Safe Schools Act in 1995, but it is clear based on the incidents at Steelton-Highspire
that we still need to do more," he said.
"With the help of our
district attorney, chiefs of police, and school administrators, we have
responded to the call of the Grand Jury by addressing those areas in need of
improvement," added Piccola.
Among those testifying at
the hearing was Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico who highlighted the
important work of the Grand Jury which revealed the present law must be
tightened to prevent the abuses that occurred in Steelton-Highspire. "The
investigating Grand Jury has been a great tool for those of us in law
enforcement to not only look at criminal activity, but also provide a written
report to recommend a course of action. In reality this is collaborative
government at its best," he said.
"This legislation is
imperative to ensuring that individuals walking out of jail one minute aren't
walking into a classroom the next. By enforcing tougher hiring policies for
ex-felons and background checks, not to mention better compliance with reporting
requirements by our schools and police, we can achieve environments that are
more conducive to learning," Marsico added.
Some Senators suggested that
the legislation imposing a lifetime ban on employment in schools for individuals
convicted of serious violent crimes, including sex offenses and felony drug
violations, was overly harsh. District Attorney Marsico strongly disagreed and
was joined by Timothy Allwein of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, who
urged the committee to adopt the ban, saying "none of us would want our children
in a school with anyone who has that kind of a criminal record."
During the hearing, leaders
of the local law enforcement community including Susquehanna Township's Chief of
Police Robert Martin, also the President of Dauphin County's Chiefs of Police,
and Chief David Bogdanovic from Swatara Township shared their growing concerns
for the safety of the Commonwealth's children. "Our youth are our future and we
owe it to our children to protect them from predators," said Chief Bogdanovic.
"I commend the Senator for
bringing about this initiative for standards that ensure the safety and security
of the treasure of this Commonwealth -- our children. They are more than the
future -- they are the essence for which we live," said Chief Martin. "From
September to June of every year, our worry as Chiefs of Police is the safety and
security of our township's schools. There are parents and grandparents from
across the Commonwealth who are thanking the Senator for taking these steps."
In his closing comments,
Piccola stressed that although he believes the vast majority of school officials
strive for a positive working relationship with their law enforcement, he
emphasized the need to improving the tools for them to better achieve that goal
and bringing an end to school violence. "To achieve this goal, we need to
ensure that all of our schools and police take their duty seriously. This duty
is to protect students and teachers from violence and harm in any way," he said.
 
At a March 15 hearing of the Senate
Education Committee, Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-15) speaks about legislation to reform Pennsylvania's Safe Schools Law.
The measure would revise the state's school violence reporting system and
enforce
tougher school hiring policies.
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