New SRO named at Chartiers Valley; predecessor promoted to sergeant in Collier

Kyle Kelsch is now patrolling the halls where he once was a student.

Kelsch, 32, of Collier, started work as a school resource officer at Chartiers Valley’s High School and the district’s middle school in August.

“The main thing is to keep the students and staff, everyone in this building, safe,” Kelsch said.

Kelsch is a 2011 Chartiers Valley graduate. That’s what interested him in the school resource officer position, he said.

While he was a student at Chartiers Valley, Kelsch was a member of the school’s lacrosse and football teams. Already, he has been able to reconnect with teachers and staff that he encountered while he was a student.

“I really had a great experience at Chartiers Valley, and was looking forward to coming back in this capacity,” he said.

Being an SRO will be a change of pace for Kelsch. He worked as a military policeman for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for six years and later as a Pittsburgh police officer for five years. He joined Collier’s department in October 2022. He’ll remain working as a part-time motorcycle officer for Collier when he is not at school.

His top priority at Chartiers Valley is to keep the schools as safe as possible, while also getting involved with student activities and being a positive role model.

“I want to do things that create bonds, and build community engagement,” he said.

Transition

Kelsch will have big shoes to fill.

He succeeds Collier officer William Oslick, who started the SRO program at Chartiers Valley in 2013 and was promoted to sergeant in the Collier police department by township commissioners in August.

Kelsch said he hopes to continue the progress and programs built by Oslick, which has become a model SRO program both statewide and nationally.

Oslick, 52, of Butler County, is still available to be of assistance to the district’s three SROs, he said. With his promotion, he will return to patrol in Collier. He said the transition is happening now because he is nearing retirement and has the ability to bring a new SRO to Chartiers Valley while he can still oversee the program.

“This is not a 7-3 job,” Oslick said. “It’s a 24/7/365 job.”

And it’s a role Oslick’s embraced over the years. Prior to working at Chartiers Valley, Oslick spent just over 19 years working for departments in Wilkinsburg, Pittsburgh and Collier.

“I would have never seen myself in these roles 12 years ago, but it’s such an important thing for us to be in these schools,” he said.

In his role as an SRO, Oslick earned awards from PA Team DUI, AAA, and SADD for his work with students; and also regularly attended SRO training.

He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Resource Officers and is on the executive board for the National Association of School Resource Officers. He also is a school board member for the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Beaver County.

Building a rapport with students is the most rewarding thing about Oslick’s time as SRO, he said. He recalled an emotional moment for him when a recent graduate, against all odds, was able to walk the graduation stage.

He is proud to still field calls and emails from former students asking for advice or just checking in.

“The long-lasting relationships you hold outside of school — it’s always cool to see what these kids are doing five years down the road,” he said.