Safety & Security

Access control, visitor management, and sound surveillance techniques help support a safe learning environment.

• Access Control Systems: All buildings have electronic access control systems with video cameras that allow doors to remain locked. Access to the interior of schools is limited through a secure vestibule entrance, requiring visitors to request access through a second, locked door.   

• Video Security System: All buildings are equipped with internal and external security cameras monitored daily by front office staff, School Resource Officers, and other personnel with authorized access.  There are nearly 900 cameras district-wide, with additional cameras added as new needs are identified. 
   
• New! Enhanced Visitor Management. The school district bolstered its visitor management process effective with the 2024-25 school year.  This initiative will replace the previous system of visitors signing in on paper.  Family members, vendors, and other visitors to the school will be required to scan their government-issued identification (driver’s license) to gain access.  The system will automatically search public offender registries to help prevent unauthorized access, and will print a sticker displaying the visitor’s name, photo, and intended destination as entered by the visitor.  The sticker will be worn by the visitor throughout their time in the building, and a simple scan of the sticker upon leaving will record their departure. 
  
  We understand a new system of this nature can create concerns, but hope those concerns are alleviated by the fact we only use a visitor’s identification to search information already available to the public, and that nearly every peer school district in the county is using a similar system.  Knowing who is in our buildings, and where they are, with a more comprehensive visitor management system strengthens our efforts to better secure our facilities. Watch a video about Enhanced Visitor Management.
   
• School Resource Officers: Law enforcement officers are embedded into secondary schools but are also assigned to elementary schools to maintain professional, working relationships with the administration for when law enforcement needs arise. SROs also help support safety training for staff.
   
• Door Checks: Routine door checks by staff help ensure locks are functioning. Propping doors open is strictly prohibited.
   
• Safety & Security Checks: District personnel in conjunction with SROs conduct safety checks to help identify areas for improvement.

Planning and practice help ensure proper performance when the need for action is evident. 

• Crisis Alert System: The district implemented the Crisis Alert System by Centegix in 2023. The Crisis Alert solution gives every employee district-wide the ability to signal for help, allowing for two levels of crisis alerts while providing their exact location on campus.
   
• New. Glass window/door safety laminate. The Board of Education approved plans in March 2024 to install glass window/door safety laminate products from Safe Haven Defense. These products are designed to significantly slow the entry process, or even prevent it.  Glass laminates of this nature save time, which saves lives. Every ground level window and door will receive the laminate. For security reasons, specific details regarding the grade and locations of glass safety laminate are not included in this public report. It is important to note that every school facility is being addressed through this safety and security project. Installation is expected to be completed by late October 2024.
   
• Digital Clock, Speaker System: The multicolor, scrolling displays and speakers allow the district to broadcast announcements, as well as emergency notifications to all students and staff at the touch of a button.
   
• Drills and Training: The State of Kansas (K.S.A. 31-133) requires schools to administer a minimum number of fire, tornado, and crisis drills each year.  The crisis drills are created with the intent of educating students and staff on the proper response to a threat and are designed to be age appropriate.  Additionally, the district safety team conducts scenario-based crisis response training for district staff. 
   
• Crisis Planning/Guides: Content for new emergency response guides is currently being created from the district’s more complex crisis management plans. The guides will allow instant access to streamlined plans and will later be rolled out in a mobile application to staff.
   
• Door Numbering: Work is underway on a project to number all exterior doors at every facility district-wide. A uniform system of door numbering across the district will allow staff to better guide emergency personnel to the appropriate location during all levels of crisis, from medical emergencies to a building intruder.

The Board of Education at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, April 3, 2023, approved the purchase and implementation of the CrisisAlert™ School Safety Solution by CENTEGIX. The solution adds another critical tool to the multi-layered approach to school safety in USD 232.

The mobile panic button badge system, currently used in more than 4,000 buildings across the country, allows all school employees to call for help from any location on campus. The system incorporates two tiers of alerts. One is used for lower-level crises such as medical emergencies and student altercations. The other will initiate a campus-wide lockdown while integrating with additional security systems, including automatic 911 notification.

“Empowering nearly 1100 employees across the district with the ability to call for help at the touch of a button, providing their exact location on campus to key personnel, is a force multiplier that will help ensure a quick response,” District Director of Safety, Rob Moser, said. “The implementation of this technology improves our safety and security efforts by providing timely Communication leading to an efficient Response to Crisis.” 

How it works

ONE BUTTON ACTIVATION - The wearable badge has a single button, enabling quick human action in any circumstance. Simply push the button, and help is on the way.

In critical moments, simplicity and speed are crucial to an effective response. CENTEGIX empowers school employees to direct help where it is needed—easily and quickly—because in a crisis, every second matters. CrisisAlert™ is an incident alerting solution that empowers teachers and staff to call for help with the push of a button on a badge they will wear in addition to their employee ID badge they wear daily.

LOCATION ACCURACY - Innovative technology determines the location of the alert, down to an individual room and floor, so first responders know exactly where they’re needed. The simple push of a button provides school/district administration, school resource officers, and other first responders with precise location information of the impacted staff member, enabling them to respond quickly in any situation. The system improves responses to everyday student and staff events, such as medical emergencies or crisis situations, including a campus alert.

IMMEDIATE NOTIFICATION -With the simple push of a button, an alert instantly reaches administrators and responders. There’s no delay, no valuable seconds lost.

AUDIO & VISUAL NOTIFICATION – In the event of a lockdown, our highest level of alert (Campus Alert), the system communicates emergency information using colored strobe lights, desktop alerts, and intercom integration. With just a single notification, an entire school can go into lockdown in an instant.

CrisisAlert™ provides a unique, integrated crisis management platform that accelerates critical response times and communications needed throughout an emergency.  The system is already implemented in the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts. With partnering districts in Johnson County, Kansas growing this technology successfully, the Board of Education directed the administration to research this solution. USD 232 utilized remaining bond funds to implement the system as part of its Safety and Security commitment.

 Safety Related Resources

• Kansas School Safety Hotline 1-877-626-8203 
• KBI Suspicious Activity Reporting page
• USD 232 Report Bullying/Harassment form
• Kansas Parent and Youth Resource Hotline  1-877-332-6378
• KC Crime Stoppers 816-474-8477
• Be SMART | Secure Gun Storage 

Other Community Resources

• Bullying prevention 
• Suicide awareness and prevention 
• Johnson County Mental Health