Signed by Governor Phil Murphy on Feb. 6, 2019, NJ A764, also known as Alyssa’s Law, requires all New Jersey public schools to install silent panic alarms that will alert law enforcement during emergencies to life-threatening and emergency events, including active shooters, evacuations, and lockdowns.

Named for Alyssa Alhadeff, one of seventeen students killed on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Alyssa’s Law is bipartisan legislation that aims to improve law enforcement response time to a life-threatening emergency.

“Alyssa’s death is a stark reminder of the dangers of gun violence and the need for adequate school security measures,” said Governor Murphy. “In New Jersey, we will do everything in our power to prevent these tragedies from occurring within our borders.”

NJ A764 defines “panic alarms” as “a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring a response from law enforcement.”

Silent panic alarm systems that can be triggered discreetly, such as a wearable panic button, fulfill this requirement. New Jersey is helping to lead the way in school safety by mandating schools have the tools they need to keep students safe without disrupting the learning environment.

CrisisAlert technology improves communication with first responders, empowers staff members to request assistance, and makes school buildings safer. The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert safety solution fulfills the purpose of Alyssa’s Law: to decrease response times in emergency situations, thereby saving lives and creating a culture of safety in schools. 

CENTEGIX CrisisAlert enables New Jersey school districts to meet the NJ A764 Alyssa’s Law requirement that schools be equipped with a silent panic alarm system that immediately connects with law enforcement during a life-threatening emergency. The following capabilities make CENTEGIX CrisisAlert an effective New Jersey school safety solution:

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 New Jersey 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 an emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. CENTEGIX innovates technology to empower and protect people, and leaders nationwide trust our safety solutions to provide peace of mind.