- Seneca Valley School District
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SV taps Secret Service Agent for District security position
Seneca Valley’s newest employee is coming to the District not long after being a part of the U.S. President’s security detail.
At Seneca Valley’s School Board Meeting Monday evening, Aug. 13, board members approved the appointment of Jeffrey James as Supervisor of Safety and Security, a new position within the District.
Mr. James comes to Seneca Valley after a successful 22-year career as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service. Mr. James held several high-level positions, including spending five years on the Presidential Protective Division, and serving as the Secret Service liaison to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Expertly trained in threat assessment and mitigation; physical security of facilities and persons; and emergency management and response planning, District officials feel very fortunate to welcome him to the District’s leadership team.
“It’s an incredible benefit to Seneca Valley that Mr. James is dedicating this next chapter of his life to school safety and security,” said Dr. Tracy Vitale, Superintendent of Schools. “His expertise will allow us to view security from a different lens, which will ultimately contribute to an even safer school environment in this day and age.”
Earlier this summer, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 44 of 2018 into law, creating a Safe Schools and Security Committee within Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The Committee was tasked with developing the criteria school entities are to use in performing school safety and security assessments, and the creation of such a position within school districts is now a part of the law. Additional items that the committee found include, in part, communication and information sharing, greater and increased access to mental health services, integrating law enforcement and school resource officers (SROs), and providing schools with more resources. Seneca Valley is home to in-school counseling classrooms as well as two SROs on the 7-12 secondary campus who are trained and certified police officers with the Jackson Township Police Department. The District also maintains service contracts with several local police agencies to provide regular security patrols at all of our K-6 schools.
The addition of the position with Mr. James means the District can provide even greater safety and security measures regarding physical building assessments, staff education and training, and maintaining/updating the district’s emergency management plans.
"I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Seneca Valley family, and to be bringing my skillset to the mission of protecting our schools," said Mr. James. “I look forward to partnering with our local law enforcement community, our administrators, our teachers, and our students and parents to create an environment where students and employees can feel safe."
Born and raised in North Versailles, Pa., Mr. James received his Bachelor's degree in education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He earned a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, and a Master of Science degree in National Security Resource Strategy from the National Defense University's prestigious Eisenhower School in Washington, D.C.
Mr. James resides in Mars, Pa., with his wife and children.