Lawrence public schools now have ‘panic buttons’ in their classrooms.
Thanks to Safe Schools funding provided by the Kansas State Department of Education, Centegix–the creators of the CrisisAlert Panic Buttons–have introduced its products in USD 497 schools. The buttons, which are portable and often worn on lanyards, are already used by Olathe and some Kansas City schools.
“We were very satisfied with the pilot in the six buildings last school year,” deputy superintendent Larry Englebrick said. “Building principals and staff were pleased with the system.”
Liberty Memorial Central Middle School was one of six schools in the district that gave the system a trial run.
“They added an extra layer of security, especially in a large building like Central,” principal Jennifer Schmitt said. “It provides a connection to outside support like law enforcement in situations with a high-level emergency.”
The approval of this system covered an initial cost of $265,600 for the first year, which included shipping, installation, setup, and training.
“Funding for this project will be split equally between the Safe Schools Grant and the Facilities and Operations Safety and Security Capital Outlay Fund, resulting in a district expenditure of $132,800 for the first year,” Director of Public Communications for Lawrence Public Schools Julie Boyle said. “For years 2-5, the district will seek the Safe Schools Grant annually to cover 50% of the costs.”
According to Centegix, badges have two alert styles: a staff alert and a campus-wide alert. A staff alert “alerts local responders and administrators immediately of an ‘I need help incident,’ displaying a map showing who needs help and where they’re located on campus.” A campus-wide alert allows staff to “instantly initiate a campus-wide rapid response to emergencies.” This alert goes directly to first responders, activates audio and visual communication across campus, and contacts 911 with location details.
Art teacher Todd Poteet was the first at Lawrence High to use the button for a safety concern.
“There was a commotion in the hallway, and when I looked out through my glass doors, I saw that a bunch of students were filming something, so I stepped out,” Poteet said. “There was an altercation going on between two students so I pressed the button to get help.”
When the button is pressed, administrators are notified with the teacher’s location in real time, rather than the location where the button was initially pressed, which aids security’s ability to respond efficiently to an alert.
“There was an altercation I was involved in breaking up and the students were actually moving down the hallway while I was trying to keep them apart. If I would’ve called from my room, we were no longer there,” Poteet said.
Along with the panic buttons, other safety features have been included with the CrisisAlert plan. Flashing strobe lights will be placed in hallways, classrooms, and other areas to prompt a visual lockdown cue, an intercom communication through the system as soon as a button is pushed in specific situations, and the ability for district devices to display a lockdown alert on their screens.
“There is no higher priority for our school district than the safety of our students and staff,” Boyle said. “We appreciate our students, staff, school families, and community working together to look out for one another to help us maintain safe learning environments for all students and staff.”
