CENTEGIX | Education

Kentucky School Safety Standards

CENTEGIX | Education

Kentucky School Safety Standards

CENTEGIX | Case Study

Supporting the Unique Safety Needs of Special Education Students and Staff

Meade County School District leads the way in Kentucky with their innovative, proactive approach to special education safety.

Learn more about how the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ helps support Meade County’s special education staff and students—and how we can help your staff and students—in our case study. Download your copy today.

Kentucky Center for School Safety

In 2019, Kentucky’s General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1. This bill authorizes the establishment of the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS). The KCSS promotes and supports school safety initiatives by providing the following resources:

Data dissemination and analysis

Research

Information about successful school safety and security programs

Insight into best practices, training standards, research results, and new programs

Technical assistance for improving school safety 

 The KCSS serves as a clearing house for information about school violence prevention and provides expertise and technical support to schools, law enforcement agencies, and communities. The organization also supplies Kentucky districts with information about available statewide and national grants when they are available. In recent years, grant funding has been available for various school safety and security measures, including Kentucky school alert systems.

How to Improve School Safety with the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform performs the following functions to improve school safety for Kentucky students and staff:

Acts as an innovative incident command system

Facilitates seamless and efficient lockdown procedures

Supplies vital data needed for successful reunification plans

Streamlines and expedites the process of requesting help during medical emergencies

Disseminates missing student information in the event of student elopement

Provides the foundation for an active shooter plan and emergency procedures

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform: Creating a Culture of Safety

CENTEGIX solutions work together to improve communication with first responders and make school buildings safer. They create a foundation for a culture of safety that prioritizes staff and students’ security and well-being. These Safety Platform features make it an effective Kentucky school safety solution. It’s technology:

Is reliable: no Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity is required

Is easy to adopt: teachers need not download an app

Transmits 911 calls and mobile alerts by integrating with local public safety answering points

Immediately connects staff to diverse emergency service technologies

Enables multiple first responder agencies to coordinate in real time

Federal Funding for Kentucky School Safety Solutions

Stronger Connections Grant

The U.S. Department of Education announced nearly $1 billion in awards through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) in late 2022. The Stronger Connections grants aim to foster academic success for Kentucky students by creating safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments. Kentucky was awarded $15,008,023 through this program.

Through the BSCA, Congress awarded state educational agencies (SEAs) funding to support evidence-based school safety and climate plans and other evidence-based strategies for creating safe, healthy, and supportive schools. The BSCA specifies that SEAs must award these funds competitively to high-need LEAs, as determined by the state.

This grant focuses on helping Kentucky schools foster sustained learning, engagement, and attachment for students. The Stronger Connections Grant Program makes funds available to schools focusing on resilience, mental health support, and improving school climate. 

According to the Department of Education, schools should spend Stronger Connections Grant Program funds to: 

  • Meet students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being needs by implementing evidence-based strategies. 
  • Nurture positive, inclusive, and supportive school environments.
  • Improve access to place-based services and interventions.
  • Collaborate with students, families, educators, staff, and community organizations; these groups can collaborate on strategies to create safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments. 
  • Better serve underserved students by designing and implementing policies and practices responsive to their needs, protecting student rights, and demonstrating respect for student dignity and potential. 

The following expenditures are among those that qualify for funding: hiring counselors and nurses, providing teacher training on inclusion and behavioral interventions, expanding mental and behavioral health services, and other efforts to create a positive and supportive climate in Kentucky 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. As of June 30, 2022, Kentucky ESSER has awarded $3,122,678,515 to the state.

For the first round of ESSER grants, Kentucky was allocated $193,186,874. The deadline to obligate those funds was Sept. 30, 2022. 

Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in 2020. Under this legislation, Kentucky’s ESSER II allocation was $928,274,720, which was obligated by Sept. 30, 2023. 

The American Rescue Plan made an additional round of funding available. Kentucky’s portion of those ESSER funds is $2,001,216,921. The obligation deadline is Sept. 30, 2024. 

COPS School Violence Prevention Program

The COPS School Violence Prevention Program is a U.S. Department of Justice program that earmarks funding for evidence-based school safety programs and technology. Schools can use COPS funds to purchase school safety technology that helps identify potential dangers. The purchase of emergency notification and response systems is also eligible for funding. This includes Kentucky school alert systems. To learn more, visit the COPS website.

BJA’s STOP School Violence Program

The Bureau of Justice Assistance also funds school safety initiatives. The U.S. Department of Justice administers these programs. BJA’s STOP School Violence Program provides grant funding for purchasing software designed to keep K-12 schools safe, including Kentucky school alert systems. This program is geared toward recognizing, responding to, and preventing violence on campus. Additional information on the BJA STOP School Violence Program can be found here.

Meade County Schools Become First District in Kentucky to Install the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™

Saving time saves lives. That’s the idea behind new technology staff members are wearing in Meade County Schools. Meade County Schools is the first school district in Kentucky to install and roll out the CENTEGIX Safety Platform.

The district demonstrated how it works in February. The technology can trigger appropriate and necessary responses based off the situation in a matter of seconds.

Read the full story here.

CENTEGIX Safety Report

2024 School Safety Trends: Saving Seconds Saves Lives

Discover our latest, comprehensive analysis of school safety incidents gathered from the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ usage data for the 2023-2024 school year in our report 2024 School Safety Trends: Saving Seconds Saves Lives.

See what our safety report reveals regarding safety in the classroom, state safety legislation, and critical components of school safety solutions. Download your copy today.

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.
Elementary school teacher

Clayton County Schools, GA

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.
High school teacher

Clark County School District, NV

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.
Middle school teacher

Palm Beach County Schools, FL

Championing Safe Schools with Educators and Educator Associations

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

Rob Kent

VP, Channel Manager

Phone: 678-323-9020

Email: rkent@centegix.com

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