Thursday, February 7, 2013
The school organized the gathering for school and municipal/police officials Thursday morning in the wake of the Sandy Hill shootings.
In response to the recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf's sponsored Commitment to the Community Committee is hosting a presentation this morning by security experts John Hudson and Louis Gentile of J.P. Hudson and Associates Inc. John Hudson is the founder and owner, and Louis Gentile is president and CEO of the firm, which was hired by District Attorney Stephen Zappala to investigate the security issues at the Western Psychiatric Institute following the shooting last March 8 in which an employee was killed. Hudson and Gentile will discuss numerous aspects of school and municipal security and offer some solutions as well as possible funding sources/grants. "…
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Though Woodland Hills has had good secondary school security since a shooting more than two decades ago, the district is looking at its elementary buildings in a different light.
"On this day though, the sounds of people walking and talking in the hall were interrupted by five loud popping sounds directly outside my classroom. To me, it sounded like balloons popping. It was not balloons. Either Mr. Nelson saw what was happening or was familiar with the sound of gunfire and immediately closed the door and put a rolling cart with a TV in front of the door. Although I remember the pops, I don't recall hearing any screams. While we had no idea what was happening or happened outside the classroom, Mr. Nelson made sure that we didn’t go near the door. Although my memory about this event 20 years ago is a little fuzzy, I believe that he called the front office to let them know that he heard what could have been gunfire. …
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The device won't stop shooters but it can buy time and keep students safer.
Bob Ploskunak, a retired Woodland Hills teacher, has invented a safety device that can prevent shooters from entering school classrooms. WTAE-TV reports that Ploskunak's invention, JAMBLOCK, a lightweight piece of steel, can be slipped under a classroom door and secure it in place, preventing intruders from entering. While it doesn't directly protect students, it does buy more time until police arrive at the scene. Ploskunak, who had been an industrial arts teacher at Woodland Hills High School, retired from the school district in 2011 after 35 years of service, For more about Ploskunak and the device, click here for WTAE's story. _______________________ Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch is on Facebook and on Twitter. Don't forget to …
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The National Rifle Association vice president made the suggestion to put armed guards in schools at a press conference Friday.
On Friday, the National Rifle Association's vice president, Wayne LaPierre, spoke at a news conference where he called for armed security in the nation's schools. LaPierre spoke about a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, and argued that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." His speech called supporters to mobilize around a new vision of American domestic security, at a time when voices for gun control are steadily rising. On the opposite side of gun control advocates are gun owners, many of whom fear their Second Amendment rights could be in jeopardy if gun control of any kind is enacted. Views about using guns to protect school children vary widely, and there's …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.
In an amazing Friday morning press conference in Washington DC, the National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, CT and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the …
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The school board is expected to vote next week on which improvements to accept out of a suggested $20 million in upgrades to Academy and secondary school security officers.
The Woodland Hills School Board on Wednesday set an agenda that will bring a number of items up for vote next week, including whether to go ahead with $20 million in renovations at Woodland Hills Academy. The board heard a presentation from a representative of Foreman Architects Engineers that detailed a number of suggested renovations to the building, which has been listed in “poor” condition since 2004, according to board President Marilyn Messina. Messina said the board will “pick and choose” which renovations to pursue next week. Terry L. Thompson, vice president of architecture for the company, said a cost-effective way to improve the building is to retain things such as chalkboards while focusing attention on more pressing structural…
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Woodland Hills School District
2430 Greensburg Pike, Pittsburgh, PA
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Friday, May 11, 2012
The Woodland Hills School Board is assessing a number of proposed cuts and reductions as it tries to balance a budget.
The Woodland Hills School Board unveiled a number of proposed budget cuts Wednesday, along with a plan that would consolidate bus routes and eliminate school bus monitors. The cuts would save the district $257,000 by reducing security, closing swimming pools in the Woodland Hills Junior High School and Woodland Hills Academy, and eliminating the College Now program and IN Woodland Hills, a free quarterly magazine. The bus consolidation plan is expected to save the district $1 million. None of the measures has come to a vote yet. The board discussed the possibilities at its regular meeting. Assistant Superintendent Alan Johnson, who is filling in for Superintendent Walter Calinger for the remainder of the school year, said the proposed …
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Woodland Hills School District
2430 Greensburg Pike, Pittsburgh, PA
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EElementary Mom
11:19 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
In the building audit at Edgewood Elementary, I hope Ms. Carter sees the security problem in having a completely unlocked door where anyone could access children and staff in the several after-school programs in the building. From my experience, ZERO security exists after school. Also, it would have been nice to receive direct communication from the school right after the Newtown shootings about … more ›