Pinellas County schools are set to get a new panic alert system that will make it easier for teachers and staff to initiate lockdowns and contact law enforcement during emergencies.
On Tuesday, the school board approved a five-year, $3.8 million contract to provide all employees with badges that have a button that, when pushed, would set off a silent alarm network.
It would replace a phone app system that assistant superintendent Clint Herbic told board members made some people apprehensive. Many worried the app would allow them to be tracked, even when not working.
Herbic assured the board that the card-based model is not trackable unless someone sets off an alert that triggers monitors installed in classrooms, hallways, and other areas of a school to let everyone know the situation.
He added that the cards, which would be on employee lanyards with their ID badges, are easier to remember during stress-filled emergencies than opening and enacting a phone app.
Board member Eileen Long said anything to ease the demand on staff would be welcome.
“Unfortunately, we live in a world where danger is all around us,” Long said. “It’s going to take a lot of pressure off the teachers.”
Pinellas has had a panic alert system in place since 2020 after Florida lawmakers required them as an offshoot response to the 2018 shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Broward County.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick told the board that his administration has been looking for a more efficient model for several years.
“We are constantly evaluating our safety and security systems to find the best way to keep our students and staff safe,” Hendrick told the board during a Dec. 10 workshop discussion on the proposal.
Neighboring Florida County Use Successfully
The system is supposed to take six weeks to install, including training. Officials said the Hillsborough County school district uses the same system and has not encountered any problems.
The program is run by the Georgia-based security company CENTEGIX and was first implemented in the Hillsborough County school district, which encompasses the Tampa metro area. All teachers and staff in the district will receive training. It's expected to be rolled out district-wide a few weeks after starting August 2019. The program was funded with a $7.3 million grant.
Here's how it works:
There are two types of crisis alert notifications. If a teacher or staff member needs help dealing with an issue like a medical emergency, they can click their transponder button three times. That alerts school resource officers and crisis management teams to the problem.
If there is a life-threatening situation, such as a school shooter, teachers or staff can trigger a campus lockdown by repeatedly clicking the transponder for about six to seven seconds.
When that happens, newly installed strobe lights in school buildings will flash, and a message telling people what to do will be broadcast via the school intercom.
No phones or walkie-talkies are needed. District computers and other electronic devices will also display a warning. One of the crisis alert ID transponders Hillsborough County Public Schools provides to teachers and staff. [Courtesy of the Hillsborough County School District].
District security director Sean Jowell said the five state-approved vendors have upgraded their offerings over time. The newly approved version can now be more seamlessly integrated with existing district emergency response systems and more efficiently connected to law enforcement.
Board member Katie Blaxberg asked whether the ease of use might inadvertently cause more panic alerts, perhaps even including accidentally hitting the button at home. Herbic assured the board that the system only sets off near the school-based monitors.
“You can sit at home and push it all day long. It won’t set off anything,” Herbic said.
Board Vice Chairperson Caprice Edmond said colleagues and others she told about the proposal supported the change.
“I believe this is the right step to go,” Edmond said.
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