CENTEGIX | Education
New York School Safety Standards
CENTEGIX | Education
New York School Safety Standards
Alyssa’s Law in New York: S7132B
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.
On June 23, 2022, New York passed Senate Bill S7132B, also referred to as Alyssa’s Law, authorizing school boards to “include information regarding the installation of a panic alarm system” when districts are revisiting their school safety plans. To read the complete Senate Bill S7132B, click here.
Versions of Alyssa’s Law have also passed in Florida, New Jersey, and, most recently, Tennessee and Texas with bipartisan support.
An additional six states have introduced Alyssa’s law legislation, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, and Virginia, as well as the U.S. Congress.
What is SPAT?
Silent Panic Alert Technology (SPAT) enables school staff to communicate quickly and directly with all law enforcement near their schools. This can save precious minutes in an active shooter situation and allow immediate police response. “I am proud to put pen to paper on Alyssa’s Law, a real and meaningful piece of legislation that will require school districts to evaluate systems that can save precious minutes—and lives,” said Governor Hochul.
Silent Panic Alarm Technology (SPAT) is an alert system that can be triggered discreetly, such as a wearable alarm button. New York has the opportunity to help lead the way in school safety by mandating schools have the tools they need to keep students safe without disrupting the learning environment.
S7132B defines “panic alarm systems” 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. These school safety solutions may include one or more of the following:
- a wired or wireless panic button
- a mobile or computer application
Achieving Alyssa’s Law Compliance with CrisisAlert™
CrisisAlert technology improves communication with first responders, empowers staff members to request assistance, and makes school buildings more secure. The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert safety solution fulfills the purpose of Alyssa’s Law: to decrease emergency response times, thereby saving lives and creating a culture of safety in schools.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert enables New York school districts to meet the NYSED requirement that schools consider purchasing and implementing SPAT systems when developing district-level school safety plans and expressly authorizing their inclusion within building-level safety plans. The following capabilities make CENTEGIX CrisisAlert an effective New York school safety solution:
- Reliable technology: no Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity is required.
- Easy adoption: teachers need not download an app.
- Immediate connection to diverse emergency service 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.
- Precise location: First responder get precise location information down to the floor and room level
New York SAVE Act
The Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) Act requires schools to take concrete measures to promote “safe learning environments where students and teachers work collaboratively in pursuit of academic excellence and social and emotional growth,”— in other words: implement school safety plans. The SAVE Act also covers staff training in school violence and prevention, incident reporting obligations, and other regulations aimed at supporting schools.
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) provides guidance for school safety plans on: Prevention, Mitigation, Protection, Response, and Recovery. It requires that schools detail procedures and processes around emergencies and resources.
The NYSED also mandates that schools determine how best to incorporate school safety officers and/or school resource officers into New York school safety plans and ideal security devices or procedures.
The New York State Center for School Safety (NYSCSS) provides support for districts seeking to meet SAVE Act standards. NYSCSS can assist schools looking to update and submit their building-level emergency response plans. The organization can also provide guidance for administrators working to identify and evaluate New York school alert systems for their buildings.
Funding Sources for New York School Safety Solutions
Smart Schools Bond Act
Smart Schools Investment Plans, part of the Smart Schools Bond Act first passed in 2014, totaling $13.2 million were approved by New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently. $7.9 million will be allocated for high-tech security, which includes entry control systems, lockdown and panic buttons, visitor sign-in & badging systems, and emergency classroom notification systems, $4.7 million for classroom technology, $356,000 for school connectivity, and $275,000 for nonpublic schools’ classroom technology and school connectivity.
The Smart Schools Bond Act was passed in 2014 and authorized the issuance of $2 billion of general obligation bonds to finance improved educational technology and infrastructure to improve learning and opportunity for students throughout New York.
The Act requires that each district submit a Smart Schools Investment Plan (SSIP) to be reviewed and approved by the Smart Schools Review Board prior to any awarding or use of funds. Districts can apply for funds for a variety of educational solutions and services, a list of which can be found here.
Learn more about Smart Schools Investment Plans and the Smart Schools Bond Act here.
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). In New York, the Stronger Connections grants aim to provide students with safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments critical for academic success. The BSCA specifies that SEAs must award these funds competitively to high-need LEAs, as determined by the state. In FY23, New York was awarded $69,314,328 through this program.
This grant focuses on helping schools foster sustained learning, engagement, and attachment for students in New York schools. The Stronger Connections Grant Program mandates that schools should 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 New York schools.
ESSER Funds for New York
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 July 2023, New York has spent 46.1% of the funds awarded to the state.
An additional round of funding was made available as part of the American Rescue Plan. New York’s portion of ESSER funds is $8,995,282,324 and the obligation deadline is Sept. 30, 2024.
COPS School Violence Prevention Program
The U.S. Department of Justice oversees the COPS School Violence Prevention Program. This program earmarks funding for evidence-based school safety programs and technology. COPS funds can be used by schools to purchase school safety technology that helps identify potential dangers. The money can also be used to improve emergency notification and response systems. To learn more, visit the COPS website.
BJA’s STOP School Violence Program
The U.S. Department of Justice has also made funds available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. BJA’s STOP School Violence Program funds the purchase software that helps K-12 schools maintain a safe environment. This program is geared toward recognizing, responding to, and preventing violence on campus. Learn more here.
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.
CENTEGIX | Webinar
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert™: The Ideal New York School Safety Solution
Last year, CENTEGIX invited district leaders to join us to prepare for and understand how Alyssa’s Law law would impact their districts. In the webinar, they learned:
- Alyssa’s Law requirements that ensure a rapid response.
- How districts in other Alyssa Law states have implemented SPAT systems quickly.
- Critical factors for choosing the right technology.
- Why CrisisAlert was endorsed by Florida legislators enacting Alyssa’s Law.
- Funding sources available to New York districts.
Watch the on-demand webinar today →
School Safety and Crisis Response: Understanding Alyssa’s Law for New York
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.
The Safety Platform™ Meets Grant-Funded Safety Measures
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 York 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:
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.
Wi-Fi and phone outages have no effect on the system.
Wearable security badges are easily accessible, lightweight, and wearable.
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.
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.
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