ROANOKE, Va. – With a push of a button, Roanoke City Public Schools and police will know when and where an active threat may be occurring.
On Friday afternoon, the district in cooperation with the city’s 911 center tested a new safety app. The app is one of 25 new safety measures the district is working to implement.
The app has multiple capabilities. When a staff member pushes the armed intruder button, every single staff member and police officer within a five-mile radius will get a notification about the threat.
Chris Perkins, Chief Operations Manager for Roanoke City Schools, said this app can allow police to respond quickly and efficiently.
“Post Columbine, post-Parkland, post-Uvalde and now in Newport News … we have this and we’re pleased to have this and roll this out to our staff because I think we can improve response times which can save lives,” Perkins said.
In years past when an incident or threat was apparent, the teacher or staff member would have to notify a supervisor. It eventually became a chain of command.
“This is one more added plus. We don’t have to wait for somebody to tell somebody to tell somebody til finally, the right people get the information. We are all getting it now and we have a plan of how we respond,” Perkins said.
When looking into the app the district also wanted to make sure every single staff member had access to it. Not only can they receive the notification but also they can be the ones to push the button.
“Rank makes no difference. It could be a preschool teacher. It could be a custodian. It could be a bus driver. Those individuals we want to feel a part of the team so they can say ‘I don’t like what I’m seeing here, I need to let people know,’” Perkins said.
The school board approved the 25 safety measures back in July 2022. Some of the measures included the app as well as adding a school resource officer in each school.
Now starting off the second half of the school year, Perkins is proud of all the progress made.
“We’ve accomplished all or the majority of each 25 and we’re very pleased with that progress. To have it approved in July and to be where we are now is a credit to the staff, the school board, and the superintendent for being committed to it,” Perkins said.
Parents will not get a notification or have access to the app. The district doesn’t want parents coming to the school and clogging up streets while an emergency may be occurring.