CENTEGIX | EDUCATION
SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL SAFETY STANDARDS
FUNDING OVERVIEW AND REQUIREMENTS
SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL SAFETY SOLUTIONS
Each South Carolina student has the right to a free and safe education. South Carolina school alert systems are designed to protect the state’s young people while they learn. For generations, students have been taught to line up and walk outside for fire drills. They’ve also avoided windows as they sat down along the walls of interior hallways and covered their heads during tornado drills.
However, nature isn’t the only threat. The South Carolina State Board of Education released its 2022 Model Safe School Checklist on July 12, 2022. In addition to fire and tornado drills, the checklist included bomb threats and active school shooters.
According to South Carolina Law, school districts must perform a fire drill every month. Weather and active shooter/intruder drills are mandated to be conducted twice each year. Each district was encouraged to review its District Comprehensive Safety Plan for different scenarios to make sure South Carolina school safety solutions include plans for:
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- prevention
- protection
- mitigation
- response
- recovery
SOUTH CAROLINA COALITION FOR SCHOOLS
After multiple tragedies in 2022, The Palmetto State Teachers Association, South Carolina Counseling Association, and South Carolina Association of School Psychologists joined forces with other associations to create the South Carolina Coalition for Schools.
The group created a School Safety Agenda for the 2022-23 academic year. The group’s five beliefs inspired this collection of South Carolina school safety solutions:
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- Every child in South Carolina has the right to grow and learn in schools and communities that are free of violence and fear.
- The creation of safe environments for children requires the coordinated and collaborative efforts of diverse groups and individuals.
- The factors that contribute to violence against children are multi-faceted and cannot be solved by any single policy action.
- The work to find policy solutions to keep children safe is urgent and is of critical importance to every South Carolinian.
- The enactment of each policy in our School Safety Policy Agenda holds the potential to be the solution that can save a single child from a single act of violence.
The Board of Education and coalition don’t agree on every proposed remedy, but it’s clear that important steps need to be taken to ensure the health and well-being of the state’s school children.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
South Carolina school safety solutions require a multi-pronged approach:
- Preparedness—an emergency response plan should be developed for all schools. Students, staff members, administrators, and law enforcement officials should be trained to understand what to do when an emergency occurs.
- Response—the FBI recommends a “Run Hide Fight” strategy that includes locking classroom doors to bar a potential shooter from entering.
- Recovery—after a shooting occurs, administrators must decide when to reopen the school, how to serve the emotional needs of students and staff, and how memorials should be handled.
Prevention and Intervention Programs—in addition to a threat-assessment program, districts should embrace anti-bullying education and a tiered approach to discipline that provides mental health care for troubled young people.
SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY
Administrators, teachers, and other staff members should closely monitor access to school grounds. School resource officers provide extra layers of security. While patrolling around the campus on a daily basis, they develop a sense of who belongs on campus and who doesn’t.
The South Carolina Association of School Resource Officers was formed in 1996. Members gather together each year for training on how to handle potentially dangerous situations, so they can more effectively respond to minor and major events on campus.
In addition, some school district officials have considered hiring private security officers to prevent incidents from getting out of control.
In 2018, the South Carolina General Assembly set aside $15 million in lottery money to provide extra equipment for school resource officers. The money also could be used to upgrade South Carolina school safety solutions at buildings with upgrades including but not limited to:
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- door locks
- security cameras
- metal detectors
- lifesaving medical equipment
GRANTS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL SAFETY SOLUTIONS
The U.S. Department of Education’s Project Prevent Grant Program provides funds to local educational agencies impacted by community violence. Grant applications must include
- the severity and magnitude of the problem and the identification of schools to be served
- plans for collaboration with community-based organizations
- activities designed to promote a safer school environment
- evidence-based, culturally and linguistically competent, and developmentally appropriate programs
- a framework for planning, implementation, and sustainability
The DOE also awards School Emergency Response to Violence grants. They provide short-term education-related services to schools recovering from violent or traumatic events. Learn more here.
SMALL STEPS: TACKLING THE SAFETY CHECKLIST
According to the 2022 Model Safe School Checklist, administrators should inspect the school grounds on a regular basis to ensure appropriate doors are locked, inside and outside lighting is working properly, and the PA system is ready in case of emergency.
School security isn’t about doing one thing. It’s about doing a lot of small things that add up to protect students and everyone else on campus. See how your school meets the checklist here.
HOW ARE YOUR RESOURCES BEING SPENT?
CENTEGIX protects over 50% of Georgia school districts.
We can protect your district, too. CENTEGIX’s CrisisAlert™ platform is an incident response solution that protects students and staff members by empowering teachers and staff to call for help with a simple push of a button. The solution provides first responders with the most accurate location information, enabling them to respond faster in any situation.
Discover resources to fund new safety and security initiatives in your district with our funding guide.
Lori Alhadeff pushes for panic alert legislation in Texas
As Texas lawmakers prepare to tackle school safety-related bills in the aftermath of the Uvalde mass school shooting, Lori Alhadeff, the mother of Parkland school shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, hopes legislators in all states will remember her daughter’s name in a push for silent panic alert systems in schools.
See Us at the 2023 SCASA Innovative Ideas Institute
JUNE 18-21, 2023 | MYRTLE BEACH, SC
The SCASA Innovative Ideas Institute, now in its 43rd year, is the premier leadership development conference for approximately 1,700 public school leaders in South Carolina and other southeastern states annually. Join us and other educational leaders to discuss the vital role technology plays in school culture and student achievement.
Be sure to visit the CENTEGIX booth and speak to our specialists about how CrisisAlert can improve your district’s safety and security and help transform your schools.
HEAR FROM OUR EDUCATORS
CrisisAlert™ Provides Grant-Funded Safety Measures
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert is an emergency incident response system that features wearable panic buttons which generate accurate, usable data. The CrisisAlert school safety solution uses visual strobes, digital messages, and automated intercom announcements to inform everyone of a campus-wide incident and to instruct them on actions they should take. CrisisAlert meets the security infrastructure needs the South Carolina school safety grants aim to address.
CrisisAlert features an analytics dashboard that assists administrators as they make safety and security decisions. A data set is generated when a staff member uses their wearable badge to call for assistance. Administrators can better understand where and why, and under what conditions. These administrative decisions, enabled by CrisisAlert data, contribute to the “positive and safe climate” that the safety grants aim to foster.
The CrisisAlert school safety solution provides robust and uninterrupted communication between staff members, administrators, first responders, and students. Unlike other emergency incident response systems, CrisisAlert’s technology precludes adoption and connectivity challenges. CrisisAlert runs on a dedicated IoT network; it’s not susceptible to wi-fi or cellular connectivity interruptions. And because the CrisisAlert mobile panic button is worn along with an ID badge, 100% of staff members use it. This high adoption rate means that every staff member at every location on campus can call for help when they need it. CrisisAlert generates accurate location data for every alert, no matter where on campus. Therefore first responders know exactly where to go during an emergency. In many instances, this kind of rapid response can prevent tragedy.
These critical features of the CrisisAlert badge from CENTEGIX ensure an immediate response:
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- Desktop takeover notifications for staff mean campus-wide alerts are never missed.
- Location accuracy enables rapid response.
- The system immediately connects the parties best prepared to handle the situation.
- Wifi and phone outages have no effect on the system.
- Wearable security badges are easily accessible, lightweight, and wearable.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert can help school districts and LEAs enact these measures, making students and staff safer. The CrisisAlert school safety solution helps create a climate of safety by enabling staff members to call for help instantly, from anywhere on campus, in any type of emergency. Under these conditions, teachers can focus on student needs, and students can focus on learning.
CENTEGIX is the leader in incident response solutions. Our CrisisAlert platform is the fastest and easiest way for staff to call for help in any emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. CENTEGIX creates safer spaces by innovating technology to empower and protect people, and leaders nationwide trust our safety solutions to provide peace of mind. To learn more about CENTEGIX, visit www.centegix.com.
THE CRISISALERT ADVANTAGE: WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT
ONE BUTTON ACTIVATION
Wearable badge with a single button enables confident human action. Users are not required to download an app.
IMMEDIATE NOTIFICATION
With the simple push of a button, alerts instantly reach administrators and responders.
TOTAL FACILITY COVERAGE
Our network secures every square foot of your property – there are no dead zones. Badges function everywhere.
AUDIO & VISUAL NOTIFICATION
Facility-wide alerts communicate emergency information using colored strobe lights, desktop alerts, and intercom integration.
LOCATION ACCURACY
Our innovative technology determines the location of the alert, down to an individual room.
EASE OF INSTALLATION
Solutions installed with no alterations to physical structures or electrical wiring are required.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert vs Mobile Apps
CrisisAlert eliminates vulnerabilities related to app-only solutions and enables rapid incident response to every scenario.
CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR SCHOOL
Alysse Daniels, M.Ed.
Senior RVP, Strategic Accounts
Phone: 404-202-3813
Email: adaniels@centegix.com
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
CrisisAlert In Action
Our badge-based panic alarm is making headlines for the simplicity and reliability of the incident response solution.
Effective Strategies for Retaining Qualified Teachers
Districts can improve teacher retention rates by ensuring teacher autonomy and safety with mobile panic buttons like CrisisAlert.
Examining Emergency Response Solutions Post-Uvalde
CrisisAlert eliminates communication vulnerabilities and enables rapid incident response, improving outcomes and saving lives.
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