-
The AIU's director of Safety & Security, Aaron Skrbin, provides schools with timely school safety information and workshops, organizes school safety training exercises with partner agencies, consults on policies and procedures, provides support during crises, serves as the liaison between the Allegheny County Office of Emergency Services and member schools and represents the interests of schools at the Allegheny County Emergency Operations Center.
The director of Safety & Security is certified to lead a number of targeted trainings, as described below:
Mandated Threat Assessment Training
Every K-12 public and charter school in Pennsylvania is mandated by law to have threat assessment teams in place. By request, the AIU provides full-day training to identify required members of the team and appropriate community liaisons and how to develop and implement their threat assessment team. The AIU also offers refresher trainings and rolling trainings for new team members.
School Safety and Security Site Assessments
Pennsylvania schools are required by law to conduct safety and security assessments every three years. By request and as time permits, the director of Safety & Security conducts comprehensive site assessments and safety plan reviews.
Emergency Operations Plan Development
Pennsylvania schools are required by law to have an emergency operations plan. By request, the AIU guides administrators in building a comprehensive emergency operations plan that takes a multi-hazard approach.
In addition to the above certified courses, the director of Safety & Security also provides the following assistance to AIU schools:
Training and Exercise Development
The director of Safety & Security works with schools and partner agencies to identify and meet training goals through targeted activities, such as emergency operations plan review, team and relationship building for school administrators and partner first-responder agencies, and tabletop exercises designed to test emergency plans, clarify roles and responsibilities and connect with local first responders.
Incident Management Classes
In partnership with the Allegheny County Office of Emergency Services and Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance (REMS TA) Center, the AIU offers a variety of school safety related training in virtual and in-person formats.
School Resource Officer Trainings
By request, the AIU will work with the National Association of School Resource Officers to provide a variety of training for school resource officers and administrators working with school resource officer or school police officer programs.
School Safety Role-Alike Meeting
The director of Safety & Security convenes weekly informal virtual meetings that serve as an update for school safety and COVID related matters as well as a valuable networking and information-sharing forum. Quarterly meetings are conducted in a more formal setting with a focus on a particular topic and typically offer a directed training or guest speaker.
School Safety Role-Alike Listserve
The director of Safety & Security facilitates communication and collaboration between the school safety community through a self-subscribing/unsubscribing listserve. To subscribe, visit https://aiu3.simplelists.com, enter your information, and select “AIU RoleAlike” from the drop-down menu. To ensure real-time delivery of time-sensitive announcements, do not select the “daily digest” option.
Meet the Director
In his role as the director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Safety & Security operations, Aaron Skrbin keeps tabs on all that is happening locally, across the state, and throughout the nation as he collaborates with educators and public health experts to develop strategies that keep our students, families and staff members safe. A current firefighter and deputy emergency management coordinator, Skrbin came to the AIU from South Fayette School District, where he served as the district’s high school principal and director of school safety. During that time, he was instrumental in starting the district’s school resource officer program.
Aaron is tasked with three primary functions – serving the 42 member schools of the AIU, leading the Safety & Security initiatives of the AIU office and its three special education schools, and serving as an advocate to local, state and federal education officials and lawmakers on matters related to school safety.
