Monday is the first day of school in Broward County and there’s an added layer of security this year: All staff will be wearing an alert badge that brings help immediately in the event of an emergency.
Staff at Coral Cove Academy of the Arts K-8 in Miramar got a vital lesson in school security on Friday. They were among the final staff district-wide in Broward to learn about the new crisis alert panic buttons.
About 30,000 badges have been distributed at 250 school sites, where the badges alert administrators and first responders when there’s an emergency on campus.
Three presses of the button mean there’s a medical emergency or something suspicious, which administrators address; eight presses trigger a lockdown and a 9-1-1 notification.
Emergency management coordinator Thomas Dusch, who was instructing staff in Miramar on Friday, told CBS News Miami it’s about saving time because emergency responders get a map pinpointing your location. As you move, the badge moves with you and allows first responders to track you, and response time can mean the difference between life and death.
Teacher Maria Garcia said it gives her peace of mind.
“I do feel safer,” she told CBS News Miami.” I’m a music teacher, so I go room to room [and] they know exactly where I am.”
It’s a long way from the 2018 deadly school shooting in Parkland, which revealed lapses in school security and communication.
The crisis alert badges are the result of Alyssa’s Law, named for Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the 17 who died at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
“This is something we have needed for a while,” said Principal Stephanie Saban.
As of Friday, all the alert badges are active, so everything is set for the first day of classes on Monday and is ready for everything, including false alarms.
