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Safe Passage partners say program cut school discipline incidents and expanded to eight schools
Summary
City and nonprofit partners told Pittsburgh City Council on May 14 that the Safe Passage program — operating in seven high schools and one middle school — has coincided with year‑over‑year drops in discipline events and is built on a formal MOU, a PCCD grant and multiple community partners.
PITTSBURGH — City and nonprofit officials and students on May 14 told a Pittsburgh City Council post‑agenda hearing that the Safe Passage program, developed after a 2019 incident at Perry High School, now operates in seven high schools and one middle school and has coincided with reductions in disciplinary incidents and other measures of student harm.
"As a result of the Safe Passage program, there's been a 27% decrease in total discipline events, a 25% decrease in major discipline events, 14% decrease in student involvement, [and] 7% decrease in violent offense," David A. Jones, assistant director of public safety for the city of Pittsburgh, told council members. He said the city and partners secured a PCCD grant to scale the model.
City and school leaders said the program rests on a memorandum of understanding among Pittsburgh Public Schools, the city and community partners; on weekly coordination calls; and on in‑school staff known as safety ambassadors who are trained to identify high‑risk situations, mediate conflicts…
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