Pittsburgh Public Schools and police show no hurry to reach agreement as a new school year begins

Photo above of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey (left) and PPS Superintendent Wayne Walters courtesy of Jason Cohn for PPS, via Public Source.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Board President Sala Udin said last month that the district under new Superintendent Wayne Walters would be “connected at the hip” with city government. But a disconnect that has persisted for more than a decade remains unsolved as students begin the 2022-23 school year.

The city police bureau and the school district still lack a cooperative agreement outlining how the two sides communicate and interact about student violations and in the event of an emergency. The agreement is required by state law.

Udin said last week the deal is on his “distant radar” and he is giving Walters, who was made permanent superintendent this summer after a year as interim, time to settle his senior staff and “get his vision clear going forward.”