CENTEGIX | Education
Oklahoma School Safety Standards
CENTEGIX | Education
Oklahoma School Safety Standards
CENTEGIX | Playbook
Oklahoma’s Alyssa’s Law Playbook: The What, Why, and How for Oklahoma Schools
In May 2024, the Oklahoma legislature passed Alyssa’s Law. This legislation, H.B. 4073, requires each school district in the state to implement a mobile panic alert system that connects emergency service technologies to ensure real-time coordination among multiple first responder agencies; and integrates with public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations.
Learn about this important legislation, how it helps makes schools safer, and how Oklahoma schools can meet and exceed compliance in our Alyssa’s Law Playbook. Download your copy today.
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Alyssa’s Law Passes in Oklahoma: House Bill 4073
The Oklahoma legislature recently passed Alyssa’s Law, authored by Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, and Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore. This legislation, HB 4073, will require Oklahoma districts to implement mobile panic alert systems in their schools.
Alyssa’s Law is named for Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, and has been championed by Alyssa’s parents, Lori and Dr. Ilan Alhadeff. Alyssa’s Law has won support as a common-sense solution for school safety.
Key features of Alyssa’s Law in Oklahoma include:
Real-time coordination: The mobile panic alert system will connect emergency service technologies to ensure real-time coordination among multiple first responder agencies.
Enhanced 911 integration: The system will integrate with public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations, providing immediate alerts to designated school personnel.
Comprehensive emergency response: Emergency responders will receive vital information such as floor plans and caller location to assist during emergencies, ensuring a prompt, efficient response.
Representative Kevin Wallace said, “We’ve prioritized school safety over the past couple of years, and Alyssa’s law ties school security together by coordinating our schools and law enforcement. The most secure buildings have vulnerabilities when communication isn’t clear.”
To comply with this new legislation, Oklahoma schools must be equipped with a mobile panic alert systems, such as CrisisAlert™, that:
Automatically alert designated school personnel during an emergency initiated by smartphone application, phone call, text message, or other technology.
Provide emergency responders with critical situational information during a 911 call.
Integrate designated school personnel with emergency responders for real-time situational updates.
CrisisAlert™—part of the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™—is a rapid incident response solution that helps protect students and staff members by empowering teachers and staff to immediately get help with a discreet panic button on a wearable badge. CrisisAlert operates via a private network, the ideal solution for schools where gaps in Wi-Fi and poor cellular signals can often disrupt connectivity. With intelligent response mapping and campus-wide notification capabilities, CrisisAlert can simultaneously send a school into lockdown while immediately providing first responders with exact location information, enabling them to respond faster in an emergency situation.
Oklahoma HB 2903 & HB 2904:
HB 2903, passed in May 2023, establishes the School Resource Officer Program, a three-year pilot initiative and financial support of safety initiatives through the establishment of the School Security Revolving Fund. HB 2904 provides 150 million dollars in funding to cover the costs of implementing safety provisions mandated by HB 2903.
Under HB 2903, school resource officers employed or contracted by participating school districts must undergo law enforcement active shooter emergency response training approved by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. These officers, equipped with specialized training in school-based law enforcement and crisis response, work collaboratively with schools using community-oriented policing concepts. At CENTEGIX, we understand the critical role school resource officers play in maintaining a safe learning environment. With CrisisAlert, school resource officers receive instant alerts, allowing them to make informed decisions and swiftly respond to emergencies. Our solution supports the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies, working hand-in-hand with schools to ensure the safety of all.
To provide financial support for the School Resource Officer Program and physical security enhancements, HB 2903 also establishes the School Security Revolving Fund. Physical security enhancements could include but are not limited to:
School resource officers
Cameras
Security geofencing
Ballistic storm shelters
By implementing CrisisAlert, you can utilize the fund to its fullest potential, making strategic investments that enhance safety measures across your district.
CENTEGIX ensures that your school safety enhancements not only meet the requirements of HB2903 but also go above and beyond, providing comprehensive protection for your school community.
Oklahoma School Security Institute Tipline
In response to the many tragic events at schools across the country, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (ODEMHS) partnered with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) to create a tip line where students, teachers and staff can now report threats in Oklahoma schools via text message. This initiative is meant to increase ease-of-use and accessibility of an already existing telephone tipline.
Risk & Vulnerability Assessments
School leaders need to under stand what they’re up against. That’s why each staff member of the Oklahoma School Security Institute, using their Crime Prevention training and law enforcement background, can provide Risk & Vulnerability Assessments to schools. These assessments are performed at no cost.
Assessments include:
- A Site Visit from an OSSI Staff Member on a traditional school day to observe the normal activities around the school.
- A List of school security best practices in each area assessed by the OSSI Staff.
- A Campus Overview including a tour of the school with notation on the security practices in place that are working well for the site as well as notation on threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities observed at the site
- A Review of the school’s policies and procedures with recommendations to strengthen language or processes if needed.
- Recommendations that are either no cost or low cost for the school site to reduce risk and increase the overall security of the site.
Additional Funding for Oklahoma School Safety Solutions
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 Oklahoma, the Stronger Connections grants aim to provide students with safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments critical for academic success. Oklahoma was awarded $11,776,526 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 LEAs, as determined by the state.
This grant focuses on helping schools foster sustained learning, engagement, and attachment for students in Oklahoma 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.
Examples of spending that qualifies for funding include hiring counselors and nurses, expanding mental and behavioral health services, providing teacher training on inclusion and behavioral interventions, and other related efforts to create a positive and supportive climate in Oklahoma 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, the state was allocated $160,950,476. Districts spent 99.96% of the funds, totaling $144,801,308. 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, Oklahoma’s ESSER II allocation was $665,038,753, and it must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2023. As of May 31, 2023, districts have spent 93.64% of the awarded funds, totaling $560,495,980.
Another round of funding was made available as part of the American Rescue Plan. Oklahoma’s portion of those ESSER funds is $1,494,647,051, and the obligation deadline is Sept. 30, 2024. As of May 31, 2023, districts have spent 37.58% of the awarded funds, totaling $505,503,087.
COPS School Violence Prevention Program
The U.S. Department of Justice oversees the COPS School Violence Prevention Program. The money is earmarked for evidence-based school safety programs and technology.
Schools can use those funds 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 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 Oklahoma for the 2022-23 school year includes:
- IDEA ARP: $32,605,440
- IDEA: $211,080,520
- Title I: $430,199,548
- Title IV-A: $14,289,135
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 else our safety report reveals regarding safety in the classroom, state safety legislation, and critical components of school safety solutions. Download your copy today.
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.
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
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?
"*" 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.*
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