Schools should prepare for the most frequent emergencies: everyday medical and behavioral incidents, such as sudden cardiac arrest, physical altercations or seizures. In fact, CENTEGIXยฎ data shows that 98% of school safety alerts involve these types of incidents, underscoring the importance of designing protocols and technology around the emergencies that truly occur.
An emergency response system that pairs wearable panic buttons with critical incident mapping can help districts respond rapidly and effectively to the emergencies they encounter every day. By focusing on the everyday types of emergencies, administrators can build comprehensive safety plans that protect students and staff when they need it most.
What Are the Most Common School Emergencies?
Schools today face an increasingly complex landscape of potential emergencies. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that the rise in students with special healthcare needs and chronic medical conditions, combined with ongoing challenges in providing schools with access to on-site licensed health professionals, contributes to added risks for both medical and non-medical personnel in handling emergencies.
Medical Emergencies Lead the Way
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy statement on Individual Medical Emergencies Occurring at School, several types of medical incidents occur regularly in schools:
Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis represent one of the most serious threats, with food being the most common trigger. These reactions can escalate rapidly, making an immediate response essential.
Asthma emergencies affect millions of students, particularly in low-income and inner-city schools. Poorly controlled asthma leads to an average of 10.5 million missed school days yearly and can result in life-threatening emergencies during physical activities or on playgrounds.
Diabetes complications require constant vigilance, as most of the 215,000 individuals under age 20 with diabetes spend long hours at school. Staff must be prepared to recognize and respond to both high- and low-blood-sugar emergencies.
Substance-related incidents have become increasingly common, with 1.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 20 identified as current illicit drug users, creating new challenges for school emergency response teams.
Sudden cardiac arrests are the leading cause of death on school campuses and the primary cause of death for student athletes. While less common, they can occur without warning and require immediate intervention, such as the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), to prevent fatal outcomes.
Behavioral Incidents on the Rise
Beyond medical emergencies, schools are experiencing a surge in behavioral incidents that require immediate intervention. A recent EdWeek Research Center survey found that 48% of educators reported student behavior was “a lot worse” this fall compared to pre-pandemic levels, up from 33% who said the same in early 2023.
The survey revealed that 80% of teachers must address behavioral problems at least a few times a week, with 58% dealing with these issues on a daily basis. Teachers explicitly stated they “need more support in dealing with student discipline,” noting that additional help would improve their mental health and job satisfaction.
Common behavioral emergencies include physical altercations between students (occurring weekly in 12% of schools), threats of physical attacks (20% weekly), and bullying incidents (18% weekly). Schools also report increased hallway disruptions, cyberbullying (30% weekly), and acts of disrespect toward staff.
Special Needs Require Specialized Response
Students with special needs often present unique emergency scenarios. Elopementโwhen a student leaves a designated area without permissionโposes significant safety risks and requires immediate response to prevent harm. Other behavioral characteristics common among exceptional students include self-injurious behaviors, stereotypy, and assaultive behaviors that may result from communication difficulties or attempts to escape aversive tasks.
What Resources Should Schools Have for These Emergencies?
Effective emergency response requires more than good intentions; it demands the right equipment strategically placed and readily accessible. Research published in the Journal of School Nursing emphasizes that having essential emergency equipment and resources available is imperative for meeting student health needs and maintaining a safe, responsive environment.
Critical resources every school should maintain include:
- Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) positioned throughout campus for cardiac emergencies
- Naloxone (Narcan) to reverse opioid overdoses, an increasingly common necessity
- Epinephrine auto-injectors for severe allergic reactions
- Comprehensive first aid supplies including glucose sources for diabetic emergencies
- Oxygen delivery equipment for respiratory distress
- Communication devices that connect directly to emergency services
The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that school preparedness depends heavily on team effort involving school administration, nurses, local emergency services, and students’ primary care providers.ย
How Safety Technology Supports Rapid Response
Having the right equipment is only part of the equation. Schools need technology that supports their safety protocols and facilitates rapid response tailored to each type of emergency. Without effective rapid response systems, even prepared schools may struggle to deliver help when seconds matter.
Why Wearable Panic Buttons Make a Difference
Wearable panic buttons, like CENTEGIX’s CrisisAlertโข, empower every staff member to request help immediately from anywhere on campus. Unlike wall-mounted buttons or phone-based systems, wearables guarantee that help is always within reach, whether a teacher is on the playground during an asthma attack or in a hallway facing a behavioral incident.ย
Why Critical Incident Mapping Accelerates Response
CENTEGIX Safety Blueprintโข, the company’s critical incident mapping solution, provides responders with precise, location information of the alert and nearby safety assets on a digital map of the campus. When a medical emergency occurs, responders can instantly see not just where help is needed, but where the nearest AED, first aid kit, or other critical supplies are located.
The Power of Integration
When wearable panic buttons and digital mapping work together, they create a comprehensive response system. A staff member activates their badge, responders immediately know who needs help and exactly where they are, and the digital map displays the fastest route and nearest emergency resources. This integration can reduce response times, a difference that saves lives.
The CENTEGIX Safety Platform: A Proven Solution
The CENTEGIX Safety Platformโข serves as the center of a comprehensive school emergency response, bringing together wearables and mapping in one integrated system. According to the company’s 2025 School Safety Trends Report, CENTEGIX technology facilitated over 265,000 alerts in the 2024-2025 school year alone.
CENTEGIX technology delivers measurable impact. As one teacher from the Safety Trends Report noted about a medical emergency: “A student started to have a severe seizure during lunch. Once I was alerted by another student, I was able to press the button 3 times while on my way to assist the student…I inquired with the SRO about what alerted admin for help; I was told the CENTEGIX badge had alerted him first, he knew exactly where I was, and was already en route.”
Another educator emphasized the behavioral response benefits: “As a behavioral special education teacher, it is a comfort when you need assistance with a student, you have immediate help needed to de-escalate a situation.”
Preparing for Reality, Not Just Possibility
Schools face a challenging reality: they must be prepared for emergencies ranging from severe allergic reactions to behavioral crises, from diabetic emergencies to sudden cardiac arrest. The key to effective preparation lies not in focusing on just extreme events, but in building robust systems for the emergencies that happen every day too.
By implementing comprehensive emergency protocols, maintaining essential safety resources and assets, and deploying integrated safety technology, schools create environments where help is always seconds away. The combination of wearable panic buttons and critical incident mapping guarantees that those common emergencies occurโand they willโschools can respond with speed, precision, and confidence.
To learn more about how critical incident mapping and wearable panic buttons can help your school prepare for emergencies, visit CENTEGIX to explore our integrated safety solutions.
