LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The same technology system used to alert law enforcement about a shooting inside a Georgia high school last week is already used in one Kentucky school district, and is being installed in others.
In February, Meade County Schools became the first school district in the state to install and roll out the Centegix CrisisAlert system.
The technology can trigger a "silent alarm" and notify appropriate and necessary responses based off the situation in a matter of seconds.
All teachers and staff wear a non-descript badge, along with their district ID. On the badge is a button that, based off the number of times it is pressed, can initiate two types of responses.
Three clicks initiates a staff alert. This signals an urgent situation that requires help, such as a medical emergency, fight, or an injury. This type of alert would send a notification to a phone to necessary personnel such as administrators, school resource officers and/or a nurse. When notified, staff are told the exact location based off where the alert was initiated, down to the room number, and who signaled the alert.
Eight or more clicks initiates a campus-wide emergency lockdown, and used in events like an active shooter. In addition to notifying administrators, this alert dispatches police immediately, and leads first responders to the exact location of where the threat is located. It also triggers red flashing lights, installed in all classroom hallways, common areas, and the building's exterior. The alert also takes over screens or monitors and displays a lockdown message as an alert plays over the PA system to notify everyone in the building.
Apalachee High School, where a 14-year-old opened fire and killed two students and two staff members last week, installed the same technology a week before the shooting.
According to the Associated Press, from the time employees pressed their badges to the time school resource officers approached the shooter and took him into custody, three minutes passed.
"The courageous educators in Georgia proved that the Centegix safety solution works as designed," said Meade County Schools Superintendent Mark Martin. "I'm thankful their leaders invested in this technology. When safety leads success is going to follow."
Educators said one of the most critical parts of this technology is the time it cuts to notify law enforcement in situations where seconds matter.
"We're not relying on classroom phones, not relying on cellphones ... It gets ahold of us immediately," said David Phillips, principal at Stuart Pepper Middle School.
As demonstrated at Stuart Pepper Middle School on Monday, dispatch is notified within six seconds.
Brandenburg Police Chief Brian Haag said it's one of the greatest technologies he's seen in law enforcement, highlighting the ability for first responders and dispatch to see on a map system where the alert was initiated and track a threat on the move as long as teachers continue to press their button.
"Beforehand, we would respond to a situation, we would be coming to the front doors if we didn't have information and starting from there. With this technology, if I know there's a closer entrance to come into the building then I can go to that entrance instead of starting from the front doors," Haag said.
Haag said the Centegix CrisisAlert System likely saved lives at Apalachee High School.
"It's unfortunate some people had to lose their lives, but I think the small number of lives lost could've been a lot larger if that system had not been in place," Haag said.
In Meade County's case, it has used the "three-click" staff alert 160 times between February and May 2024. Almost have of those alerts were used in the case of behavior incidents.
Meade County Centegix Staff Alerts Breakdown between Feb. to May 2024.
"We've used it for just a few incidents in the classrooms. Nothing major, but enough to where the teachers needed our support in that moment," Phillips recalled. "All three administrators and the school nurse we were able to get to that classroom within 45 seconds."
It has also been used in the case of medical emergencies.
Meade County High School Athletic Director Todd Clanton recalled an instance it helped in a medical emergency during football practice at Stuart Pepper Middle School.
"We were able to get all the necessary professionals to get that kid safely treated," Clanton said. "Seconds matter, so every second we're not doing what we need to do, we're increasing the risk of the worse case scenario and we're trying to create the best scenario for our kids."
In addition to all staff, substitutes and athletic coaches are trained and wear CrisisAlert badges.
The technology provides coverage inside and outside of buildings, from parking lots to athletic fields.
Meade County Schools has a five-year contract with Centegix. Three community partners came together to cover the cost of the contract, in turn, not costing Meade County Schools a penny. Partners include Monument Chemical, Nucor Steel of Brandenburg and the Rick Kueber Family.
Martin said the price to install the system district-wide cost the same as adding another teacher.
CrisisAlert relies on its own technology and network to operate, therefore, if district wi-fi or cellular networks are unavailable, CrisisAlert would still work.
Related Stories:
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
