CENTEGIX Crisis Alert School Safety Solution
April 4, 2023 – 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 alert will initiate a campus-wide lockdown while integrating with additional security systems, including automatic 911 notification.
“Empowering nearly 1,100 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 Coordinator 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 will utilize remaining bond funds to implement the system as part of its Safety and Security commitment. The district will begin working with CENTEGIX to have the system up and running at all buildings and campuses by August or September, dependent on installation, configuration, and staff training.
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