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How California Districts are Using Wearable Panic Buttons to Reduce Response Times

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Dec 30, 2024

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California lawmakers and educators focus on fostering safe and healthy school climates. Current legislation emphasizes school safety plans and how schools can create safe communities conducive to learning. More California schools are integrating wireless panic button systems into their multilayered safety plans. A multilayered school alert system is imperative in reducing emergency response times and creating a safer learning environment.

Here’s an overview of how California school districts make learning safer for everyone in the school ecosystem. 

California Schools Are Opting for Wireless Panic Button Systems

To stride toward safer schools, Covina-Valley Unified School District took significant steps in prioritizing student safety, equipping every campus with the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System. Here’s what Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Eminhizer had to say about the decision:

“Student safety is always our first priority at Covina-Valley Unified (C-VUSD), and each year, our schools and District work diligently to refine our safety plans, practice drills, and implement best practices. CENTEGIX provides us with an incredibly innovative way to respond to any emergency across the District.”

All C-VUSD staff—teachers, counselors, food service, and transportation teams—are outfitted with wearable panic buttons designed to allow them to quickly request help from anywhere on campus. The system has two alert levels that enable users to differentiate between various types of emergencies, from student behavioral incidents and medical situations to active assailant scenarios.

With the CENTEGIX school alert system, staff are empowered to immediately notify school administration and 911 in the event of an emergency by simply pressing their CrisisAlert wireless panic button. For campus-wide alerts, the system activates flashing strobes, desktop takeovers, and intercom messages at the school site. It also saves time by providing the room-level location of the alert to first responders.

“The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System enhances our ongoing commitment to create safe and nurturing learning environments for the Covina-Valley community,” C-VUSD Board President Maria Caceres said. “We are proud early adopters of this technology in the state of California, and hope it gives our students, staff, and families peace of mind that help is just a few presses of a button away.”

CENTEGIX wireless panic button systems

School Alert System Legislation

California schools strive toward safer schools by following rules set by the state legislature. California Assembly Bill No. 1747 is just one example of the legislature working toward increased safety standards. It requires all public K-12 schools in California to develop comprehensive school safety plans in cooperation with local law enforcement, community leaders, staff, and other community members to improve overall school safety.

California Assembly Bill No. 1747 requires schools to evaluate the following: 

  • The current status of school crime
  • Disaster procedures, including earthquake preparedness and adaptations for disabled students
  • Suspension and expulsion policies for students committing serious offenses
  • Notification procedures for teachers about dangerous individuals
  • Entrance and exit procedures for safe entry and exit of the school
  • Tactical responses to criminal incidents, including strategies for dealing with armed assailants

What is the overarching goal of laws like California Assembly Bill No. 1747? To make schools safer. Other states are legislating for school safety, too—Florida adopted Alyssa’s Law in 2020, requiring public schools to install silent panic alarm systems. Wireless panic button systems can reduce response time in the face of violence or a medical emergency.

Several states have followed Florida’s lead. New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have also passed legislation requiring or encouraging silent panic alarm systems in schools.

Compliance can seem daunting, but California schools can comply with safety laws and protect their communities by implementing helpful technology, such as wireless panic button systems, into their school alert system. 

Wearable Panic Buttons Reduce Response Times

Schools are slowly abandoning antiquated safety systems for reliable technology built to reduce response time. When emergencies occur in schools, a rapid response is critical. No matter the crisis—weather events, active assailants, medical emergencies, or unwelcome visitors—a rapid response can prevent injury and save lives. A layered, multi-functional school alert system should feature wireless panic button systems that accelerate response.

Compare app-based technology to wearable panic buttons: For an app-based tool to be effective, the individual needing help must have their phone in their possession, be charged and connected to Wi-Fi or cellular service, and be in the right frame of mind to navigate the app effectively. Wireless panic button systems, however, eliminate those potential hurdles. Staff members can send an alert by simply pressing a single button on their wearable badge.

School staff that have used wireless panic buttons as part of their school alert system say that the technology enables them to get help—even with limited or nonexistent cellular service. California teachers that use CENTEGIX CrisisAlert wireless panic buttons say:

“We don’t have [cellular] service in our building, and it can be difficult to get ahold of the office staff, so having something to alert them of an emergency immediately was incredibly helpful in a very scary situation.” 

“CrisisAlert worked perfectly, and we were able to get emergency services to the school quickly. Time would have been wasted if I had to wait for a call to go through to the office, have an admin paged and sent to my classroom, and then a call go out to 911. The cell service is not good, and I may or may not have had a signal. I have peace of mind knowing I have access to my CrisisAlert [badge].”

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform: Safety Solutions for California Schools

Choosing the right safety plan and school alert system for your district can be overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. CENTEGIX provides California schools with the wireless panic button systems necessary to keep their districts safe. If you need to reevaluate your school alert system, CENTEGIX can help. 

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ offers precise, room-level location capabilities to ensure an accelerated and effective response during moments of need. 

The Safety Platform at a glance:

  • Discreet, one-button wearable duress badge
  • Digital mapping to outline floorplans, safety assets, and incident locations
  • Total campus coverage through private LoRaWAN and Bluetooth networks 
  • Precise locating capabilities activated only during an incident 
  • Easy installation with no hardwiring required 
  • Accessible and automatic reporting collected within an easy-to-use dashboard

CENTEGIX CrisisAlert is the only wearable panic button that empowers users to get help immediately in an emergency. With the push of a button and in mere seconds, users discreetly alert responders to their need for help and the precise incident location details. 

CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint provides schools and other users with digital, multi-layered maps of their campuses—including information about safety assets—which is invaluable for staff and first responders in high-stress emergencies. CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint is highly customizable, so schools have a solution tailored to their needs.

CENTEGIX can help you craft a school safety plan that complies with federal school safety laws

CENTEGIX Visitor Management enhances the visibility of everyone who comes in or out of any given campus. Enhanced Visitor Management can locate all guests, volunteers, and contractors in real time through live digital maps. It also records visitor details for future safety planning.

In an emergency, every second matters™. Our solutions can empower your district to make the most of every second. CENTEGIX is an industry leader in wearable safety technology with over 600,000 badges in use. Leaders in over 14,000 locations nationwide trust CENTEGIX’s innovative safety solutions to empower and protect their people every day.

Click here to see how CENTEGIX can enhance a school alert system and foster a culture of safety in your district.

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