Pearl River County schools increase safety

Thanks to the Department of Justice ‘Cops Grant’ worth half a million dollars, Pearl River County schools have increased their security.

Teachers and staff can now call for help with the push of a button with crisis-alert, which is a safety solution by Centegix.

The badges for teachers and administrators can be used for several different types of scenarios, including calling for help, medical emergencies, or student fights, gun threats, and campus-wide lockdowns.

The system has been in place since last spring and the teachers are big fans. Director of Technology and Testing Tara White said, “I’ve heard multiple teachers tell us that they feel safer knowing that they know that when they press the button help is coming. So, if there is just a medical emergency and they press a button three times, it notifies the principals or assistant principals in the office where they are on campus and tells who pressed the button so that they know where to go and who they’re going to help.”

The badge also has the capability to initiate a campus-wide lockdown to ensure all students are safe.