CENTEGIX | Education
Florida School Safety Standards
CENTEGIX | Education
Florida School Safety Standards
Florida’s Broward County School District Selects CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint™ for District-Wide Digital Mapping
CENTEGIX, the industry leader and largest wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, today announced that Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the sixth-largest school district in the nation and the second-largest in the state of Florida, has approved the purchase and implementation of CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint™, a dynamic digital mapping solution, for 329 sites within its school district.
CENTEGIX | Safety Report
Alyssa’s Law: Making Florida Schools Safer
Adverse situations can happen at any moment—from everyday crises such as medical emergencies, severe weather, and physical altercations to extreme situations that threaten your entire campus.
In our report, we share aggregate usage data from Florida districts utilizing CrisisAlert that demonstrates the positive effect Alyssa’s Law is having on the safety of over one million students and one hundred thousand educators and staff.
Download the report today →
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Florida HB 301 and the School Mapping Data Grant Program
Florida HB 301 encourages Florida school districts to utilize emergency mapping data by allocating funding through the School Mapping Data Grant Program.
While the bill does not issue any legal requirements for school mapping data, it encourages districts and charter schools in the state to generate accurate digital mapping data to share with first responders to increase public safety and decrease emergency response times.
The bill “appropriates $14 million” to the Florida Department of Education to create the School Mapping Data Grant Program. Florida school districts “may apply to receive funds from the program to provide school mapping data for each public school, including charter schools, in the district.”
Mapping Your School with Safety Blueprint™
Through Florida HB 301, you can secure funding to give your district dynamic mapping capabilities. CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint™ , our industry-first, dynamic digital mapping solution, gives your safety and facilities teams a comprehensive view of utilities, campus assets, IT security resources, evacuation points, and other user-defined information.
- Use dynamic mapping to define zones (i.e., room numbers, grade hallways, campus segments) and update evacuation routes.
- Create scenarios and add obstacles to improve decision-making.
- Give first responders immediate access to all campus information, including utility shutoffs, AEDs, fire suppression, alarm panels, and cameras.
- Give emergency responders context with user-added data.
- Track safety asset inventory, location, and maintenance.
While the bill does not issue any legal requirements for school mapping data, it encourages districts and charter schools in the state to generate accurate digital mapping data to share with first responders to increase public safety and decrease emergency response times.
The bill “appropriates $14 million” to the Florida Department of Education to create the School Mapping Data Grant Program. Florida school districts “may apply to receive funds from the program to provide school mapping data for each public school, including charter schools, in the district.”
Alyssa’s Law in Florida: SB 70
Florida passed its version of Alyssa’s Law (Florida Senate Bill 70) in 2020, making it the second state to pass the legislation. The law, named for Alyssa Alhadeff, requires Florida public schools to implement a mobile panic alert system (MPAS) and creates guidelines and funding avenues for those systems.
The bill, which received unanimous support in the Senate, was introduced by Sen. Lauren Book. Representatives Michael Gotlieb and Dan Daley introduced a similar bill in the Florida House of Representatives (Florida House Bill 23).
What is a Mobile Panic Alert System?
A Mobile Panic Alarm System is an alert system that can be triggered discreetly, such as a wearable panic button. Florida is one of the first states in the US with a version of Alyssa’s Law that will keep students and staff safe without disrupting the learning environment.
In Florida, Alyssa’s Law will:
- Empower teachers and staff
- Allocate $6.4 million in recurring funds for implementation
- Speed emergency response time
- Provide Florida school safety solutions
- Save the lives of Floridians
Alyssa’s Law aims to improve law enforcement response time to life-threatening emergencies in schools. Districts seeking to comply with Alyssa’s Law must therefore invest in everyday safety solutions that improve emergency response times. In an emergency, every second matters.
Achieving Alyssa’s Law Compliance
CrisisAlert™ technology is designed to improve communication with first responders, empower staff members to request assistance and make school buildings more secure. The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert safety solution fulfills the purpose of Alyssa’s law: to decrease emergency response times, save lives, and create a culture of safety in schools.
- No Wi-Fi or cell data is required.
- Easy adoption—no need for teachers to download an app!
- Connections to diverse emergency services technologies
- Real-time coordination among multiple first responder agencies, including county, local, and on-site responders
- Integration with local public safety answering points to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations
The Florida Department of Education has fully vetted the CrisisAlert™ solution and deemed it fully compliant with the requirements of Alyssa’s Law.
A Multilayered Approach: the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™
The multi-layered CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ combines innovative technology to empower school staff in critical situations, especially those Alyssa’s Law aims to address. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ is the foundation for an efficient and effective safety plan. The Safety Platform empowers users to prevent, prepare for, and respond to any adverse incident campus-wide. The platform unites robust industry-leading solutions, including
- Safety Blueprint™
- Visitor Management
- Enhanced Visitor Management™
- CrisisAlert™
Learn how the CENTEGIX Safety Platform can help create a safer work environment here.
Funding for Florida School Safety Solutions
State-Level Funding
The state legislature allocated $6.4 million in recurring funding to support Alyssa’s Law implementation. The Florida Department of Education has allotted $2,000 per campus to implement the program and has already negotiated implementation costs with ten providers, including CENTEGIX.
HB 301 includes a $14 million appropriation to fund bill compliance. According to estimates, a digital incident map can cost between $3,500 and $5,000 per school.
Stronger Connections Grants
In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Education announced nearly $1 billion in awards through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). Florida was awarded $53,737,824 through this program.
Through the BSCA, Congress awarded $1 billion in funding to state educational agencies (SEAs) to develop state grant programs to give students safer and healthier learning environments. The BSCA specifies that SEAs must award these funds competitively to high-need local education agencies (LEAs), as determined by the state.
This grant focuses on helping schools foster sustained learning, engagement, and attachment for students in Florida schools. The Stronger Connections Grant Program mandates schools to accomplish this by becoming more resilient, supporting mental health, and improving school climate.
According to the Department of Education, schools should spend Stronger Connections Grant Program funds to:
- Implement evidence-based strategies that meet students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being needs.
- Create positive, inclusive, and supportive school environments.
- Increase access to place-based interventions and services.
- Engage students, families, educators, staff, and community organizations in selecting and implementing strategies to create safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments.
- Design and implement policies and practices responsive to underserved students, protecting student rights, and demonstrating respect for student dignity and potential.
Spending that qualifies for funding could include hiring counselors and nurses, providing teacher training on inclusion and behavioral interventions, expanding mental and behavioral services, and other related efforts to create a positive and supportive climate in Florida schools.
ESSER Funds
As part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were made available to address the pandemic’s impact on student safety and mental well-being.
For the first round of ESSER grants, Florida was allocated $770,247,851. The deadline to obligate those funds was Sept. 30, 2022.
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act was passed in 2020. As part of the act, Florida’s ESSER II allocation was $3,133,878,723, and it must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2023.
An additional round of funding was made available as part of the American Rescue Plan. Florida’s portion of those ESSER funds is $7,043,370,152, and the obligation deadline is Sept. 30, 2024.
School Violence Prevention Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s School Violence Prevention Program funds Florida school safety solutions. The 2023 application deadline passed in May, but districts can anticipate that more funds will be available for 2024.
Funds have been used to upgrade school safety features, including but not limited to:
- purchasing panic alarm systems
- replacing or enhancing doors and windows
- purchasing access control systems
- improving perimeter security
BJA’s STOP School Violence Program
The U.S. Department of Justice also has funds available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. BJA’s STOP School Violence Program funds software that helps K-12 schools maintain a safe environment. It’s geared toward recognizing, responding to, and preventing violence on campus. Learn more here.
Federal Grants
The list of federal grants awarded to Florida for the 2022-23 school year includes:
- IDEA ARP: $141,399,533
- IDEA: $914,775,827
- Title I: $2,168,204,511
- Title IV-A: $68,823,158
Resources for Florida Districts
Explore our resources on school safety, legislation, funding, and more to help make Florida schools safer.
What are your options for HB 301 compliance? We can help.
Why Should You Choose CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint™?
Here are 10 reasons.
Saving Time Saves Lives—Is Your Safety Solution Capable?
Florida HB301: What is it? Why is it Important? What’s Required?
How Are Your Resources Being Spent?
CENTEGIX protects over 11,500 schools across the country. We can protect your school, too.
The CENTEGIX Safety Platform™, featuring CrisisAlert™, accelerates your response to emergencies. We’ve built the CENTEGIX Safety Platform to support you in the single most critical factor of incident response: time. Because in an emergency, every second matters.
Discover federal resources to fund new safety and security initiatives in your district by exploring federal funding resources for school safety.
Hear from Our Educators
We engage with teachers and staff every day to understand how CrisisAlert supports them, and here’s what they’ve shared:
A student was having trouble breathing and her vision was beginning to black out. We don’t have service in our building and it can be difficult to get ahold of the office staff, so having something to immediately alert them of emergency was incredibly helpful in a very scary situation.
I had a student who was refusing to follow directions and became very defiant. This student was beginning to get aggressive. I used my badge to alert our campus security monitor to remove the student from the situation. It is a very useful tool when the response was as immediate as it was.
A student was having a severe panic attack, trouble speaking, crying, not able to answer my questions as to what was wrong with her. I used the device to call for administrative help and it worked like it was designed to. Help arrived in a matter of seconds. I saw firsthand how well it works.
Championing Safe Schools with Educators and Educator Associations
Discover the Safety Platform
Safety solutions that prioritize speed for the best outcome.
Mapping and locating capabilities provide the precise location—of emergencies, visitors, and safety assets.
A visitor management system screens and locates visitors on your campus.
Protocol development to plan for rapid incident response.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert vs. Mobile Apps
CrisisAlert eliminates vulnerabilities related to app-only solutions and enables rapid incident response to all emergencies.
In an Emergency, You Need CrisisAlert™
Adverse situations can happen at any moment—from everyday crises such as medical emergencies, severe weather, and physical altercations to extreme situations that threaten your entire campus. The faster you get help to the right location, the better the outcome.
See how our CrisisAlert wearable mobile panic button empowers staff to get help instantly in an emergency.
Ready to Connect with a CENTEGIX Specialist to Learn More?
Alysse Daniels, M.Ed.
Senior RVP, Strategic Accounts
Phone: 404-202-3813
Email: adaniels@centegix.com
"*" indicates required fields
*By providing my phone number to CENTEGIX, I agree and acknowledge that CENTEGIX may send text messages to my wireless phone number for any purpose. Message and data rates may apply. CENTEGIX will only send one SMS as a reply, and I will be able to Opt-out by replying “STOP”. **No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes.*
Empower Your Educators
with Safety
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2023 Safety Spring Trends Report
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School Safety Standards by State
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