Safety & Security
Aaron Vanatta, Chief of School Police, Safety & Security Coordinator
David Watts, School Police Officer
Thomas Liberty, School Police Officer
Cory Zelenak, School Police Officer
Quaker Valley Peer Jury and School Safety Programs Honored
Officers Aaron Vanatta, David Watts, Thomas Liberty, and Cory Zelenak believe that school safety begins with quality relationships between staff, students and their families which creates a culture where safety is the responsibility of our entire school community, not simply faculty, staff and law enforcement.
The Quaker Valley School District Police received the 2024 National School Safety Award at the School Safety Advocacy Council's 20th Anniversary National School Safety Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Quaker Valley School District Police were also recognized in 2017 when they received a "Model SRO Agency" award at the 27th Annual National School Safety Conference held by the National Association of School Resource Officers in Washington, DC. In 2019, Quaker Valley was chosen as "School Safety District of the Year" and also received the "Most Collaborative Safety Program" award at the Navigate Prepared Summer Safety Academy in Akron, Ohio. Our officers work tirelessly to keep our buildings safe, by incorporating programs to educate and mentor students in a caring and nurturing way. Students respect them, colleagues learn from them, and the community appreciates them. Not only are Chief Vanatta, Officer Watts, Officer Liberty, and Officer Zelenak the District’s police officers, they are also guest speakers in our classrooms and act as informal counselors to help students, faculty, and staff with any concerns. They have implemented outreach programs, conducted assemblies, written grants, formed partnerships, led trainings, and formulated the District’s entire safety and security plan.
Chief Aaron Vanatta serves as the District's Safety and Security Coordinator. Officer Vanatta is recognized as a National School Resource Officer (SRO) Practitioner and recently served as the Region 3 Director (PA,NY,NJ, & DE) for five years and then as Secretary for two years for the National Association of School Resource Officers. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Friends of Safe Schools U.S.A.'s Pennsylvania Chapter. Officer Vanatta is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology and completed the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Training Academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He joined Quaker Valley in 2015.
Officer David Watts retired in May 2015, as a patrol supervisor from the Pennsylvania State Police. During his time with the state police, he received multiple accommodations. In 2013, Officer Watts was named "Trooper of the Year". He also served four years in the United States Army and four years in the U.S. Army Reserve. Officer Watts received his associate degree in specialized technology from Harrisburg-based National Education Center. Prior to joining the Quaker Valley School District Police in 2019, he was a school police officer for Avella Area School District in Washington County for four years.
Officer Thomas Liberty joined Quaker Valley in 2022, after retiring from the New Sewickley Township Police Department in Beaver County where he served for 21 years. Officer Liberty was assigned as the school resource officer in the Freedom Area School District for his last eight years in New Sewickley where he implemented a variety of programs and safety protocols. In 2019, he was recognized with the Guy “Tippy” Tyler Juvenile Justice Award from the Beaver County District Attorney’s office. This award is given to officers who display exemplary work and outstanding achievement in the area of juvenile justice and education.
Officer Cory Zelenak joined Quaker Valley in 2024. He began his career in law enforcement in 1992 working for local municipal departments in Beaver County. In 1998 he enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police and was assigned to Troop B, Washington. During his career with the Pennsylvania State Police, he served in specialized units including Motorcycle Patrol Unit, Bureau of Gaming Enforcement, and Firearms Instructor. In 2017 he was Promoted to the rank of Corporal and was assigned to Troop D, Butler as a Patrol Unit Supervisor. His last assignment was as the Patrol Unit Supervisor at the Beaver barracks located in Brighton Township. Prior to joining Quaker Valley, he served as the Chief of School Police/Safety and Security Coordinator for the Rochester Area School District in Beaver County. Officer Zelenak will primarily serve as the school police officer stationed at Osborne Elementary School.
Each school has a building level safety team comprised of administrators, teachers, school counselors, and school police. These teams meet regularly to discuss emergency management procedures and safety concerns in their buildings. Ensuring the safety of our schools involves multiple components, including physical security (safe buildings, grounds, & equipment), community partnerships, adequately trained faculty, staff, and students, and a positive school climate where students feel healthy, safe, connected, included, and respected.
The school district also incorporates violence prevention and self harm efforts in the form of a student wellness assessment process. This plan includes multidisciplinary student wellness assessment teams primarily used at the high school and middle school levels who identify or receive reports of behaviors of concern through the student assistance program process or one of several reporting mechanisms listed below. These teams assess the concerning behaviors, develop risk management options, and place protective factors in place to help students succeed and to promote safe school climates. Faculty, staff, students, parents, and the community are encouraged to report any concerns using any of of our reporting
mechanisms.
Quaker Valley Student Wellness Assessment Teams Information Video
For urgent matters which require immediate assistance or in cases of emergency, please dial 911 and speak to a dispatcher.
- QV Text-A-Tip: report sensitive information to school officials at any building
- QUEST: report concerning behaviors to the high school officials online
- Safe2Say: Pennsylvania's anonymous reporting system
- Student Assistance Program: report concerning behaviors to middle school officials online
- Edgeworth Elementary: report concerning behaviors to Edgeworth Elementary officials
- Osborne Elementary: report concerning behaviors to Osborne Elementary officials
