BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A Metro East School district is making a big investment in technology to keep more than 4,800 students safe.
After losing her daughter Alyssa in a school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Lori Aldaheff has learned one thing all too well.
“Time equals life,” Lori Aldaheff said.
Aldaheff believes lives were saved at Appalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, thanks in part to the technology in the Centegix Safety Platform.
“The panic button was pushed in that situation and law enforcement was able to get there sooner and prevent further loss of life,” Aldaheff said.
Belleville Superintendent Brian Mentzer said schools across the country are using that situation as a learning tool.
“It’s put schools on edge,” Mentzer said.
That’s why the Belleville Township High School District is spending $205,000 to put the technology inside all three of its campuses to give students, and their parents, peace of mind.
“They deserve to be as comfortable and as safe as they possibly can,” Dantzler said. “The more things you can layer on proactively the better it is in terms of their ability to feel like we’re in a safe place.”
With the push of a button school staff and administrators can send out an alert for a medical emergency or a school shooter.
“It’s an immediate hey I need this type of assistance in this area,” Mentzer said. “It locates the ping of the badge from a 4 to 6-foot range. It can narrow down what floor they’re on and where they’re at in the building.”
“We’ve had situations where kids have passed out and that panic button was pushed,” Aldaheff said. “They were able to get the AED on the scene and help save that student's life.”
Thanks to Alyssa’s Law, the technology is required in schools in seven states, including Texas, Florida, and New York, but Aldaheff would like to see it adopted in all 50 states.
“This technology is emerging and will become far more universal in terms of its implementation in schools,” Mentzer said.
“I know that this will help to save lives,” Aldaheff said.
Belleville Schools hopes to have the system implemented within the district by the end of the fall semester.
If you would like more information on Alyssa’s Law, click here.