On August 1, 2023, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed the School Safety Act into effect. This legislation requires schools to increase emergency preparedness and enact crisis management response plans. The bill also provides funding for Louisiana school alert systems.

Louisiana’s School Safety Act (Senate Bill 207) results from collaboration between Louisiana students and lawmakers. Senator Barry Milligan said he crafted Senate Bill 207 with input from the Youth Legislative Advisory Council. This panel of students informed legislators that their emergency drills did not account for incidents outside of classrooms. The council requested improvements to school responses to mass shooting incidents. 

The Louisiana School Safety Act requires school districts to:

This new legislation makes funding available for Louisiana school safety solutions. The current Louisiana state budget includes $8.9 million for enhanced school safety measures related to school shootings. The most significant portion, $5 million, would pay for security equipment, such as surveillance cameras, safety training, and expanded drills. A $1.6 million portion is set aside to provide teachers with “panic buttons” to signal an emergency. Therefore, districts can invest in Louisiana school alert systems designed to improve communication with 911 and first responders, quickly enact safety protocols, and support staff in emergency situations. 

A panic emergency notification system is an alert system that can be triggered discreetly, such as a wearable panic button. Louisiana and several other states are leading the way in school safety by mandating schools have the tools they need to keep students safe without disrupting the learning environment. Panic emergency notification systems:

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform is an emergency incident response safety system that features wearable panic buttons, digital mapping software, and reunification and visitor management capabilities and generates accurate, usable data. The Safety Platform 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. The Safety Platform meets the security infrastructure needs the Louisiana school safety grants aim to address.

The Safety Platform 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 request assistance. Administrators can better understand where and why and under what conditions. These administrative decisions, enabled by Platform data, contribute to the “positive and safe climate” that the safety grants aim to foster. 

The CENTEGIX school safety platform provides robust and uninterrupted communication between staff members, administrators, first responders, and students. Unlike other emergency incident response systems, the Safety Platform’s technology precludes adoption and connectivity challenges. It 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 request 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 and Safety Blueprint from CENTEGIX ensure an immediate response: 

CENTEGIX Safety Platform can help school districts and LEAs enact these measures, making students and staff safer. The Safety platform school safety solution helps create a climate of safety by enabling staff members to request help immediately, 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 Safety Platform is the fastest and easiest way for staff to request 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.