Heartbreak and devastation are being felt across Winder, Georgia, and beyond after a 14-year-old boy reportedly opened fire at his high school, killing four people and injuring at least nine others on Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said it received alerts at about 10:20 a.m., and within six minutes of the school’s safety alert system going off, the suspect was taken into custody. The quick response was due largely in part to Centegix, a new security system that was implemented just a week and a half ago.
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As the nation continues to grapple with grief in the wake of this tragic incident, we’re working for you on the security measures local schools already have in place to keep students and staff safe.
From enhanced technology that allows schools to alert authorities and go into lockdown within seconds to renovations and upgrades, there are a plethora of steps schools have taken to enhance safety overall.
Here’s a closer look at what’s being done at some of the schools in our area:
Buena Vista
We previously covered this system when it was put into Parry McCluer, but the Verkada Safety System is now in ALL Buena Vista schools. This is a major development considering how high-tech this is for a small, not super wealthy district.
There are sensors that detect vaping, motion-activated cameras, and software that uses facial recognition to alert police when someone not allowed to be on campus shows up. It also allows school leaders to send those images and locations directly to the police.
Danville
Danville Public Schools utilizes information from the Student Behavior and Administrative Response report in order to change and adjust policies to ensure student safety.
Danville Public Schools also said as it renovates its buildings, it’s adding key fob entries to classroom doors and cameras to classrooms. They also plan to add a security system called 911 Inform, which alerts principals and first responders if there are any emergencies.
Lynchburg
Lynchburg City Public Schools recently had three more of their schools receive new entryways that are designed to control access more effectively. Additionally, teachers and staff members must use key fobs to enter the building. All of the Lynchburg schools now have these entryways.
Visitors also have increased security protocols. They now must ring a door bell, which will notify a staff member. they will undergo a specific check-in process before they are allowed to enter the school.
Pulaski County
Status Solutions has begun working with Pulaski County schools to ensure safety, which has had teachers install software on their personal devices that allows them to be notified in the case of an emergency.
The company has been working with the county’s emergency team since 2015, to make sure first responders have unified communication and are pleased to bring the technology to schools, for free.
Roanoke City
Roanoke City has implemented vast safety measures to keep students safe, as well as an app that can notify any police officer and school staff member within a five-mile radius of any threat.
This is just one of an apparent 25 safety measures that have been taken by the Roanoke City Public School district.
Roanoke County
Roanoke County Public Schools began using an app called Raptor in 2022, which can allow schools to lock down with the click of a button.
When a guest checks in to the building, everyone with the app installed will be notified. This makes it much easier to keep track of who may be in the school, and who to look out for if there’s a threat. Teachers also have the ability to lock down the school in case of an emergency.
Schools will also have the ability to upload digital maps, marking the rooms and classrooms. This information is sent to local police departments in case of an emergency.
Schools all across our region have added new and improved reforms to improve the safety of our children in schools, and 10 News will keep you updated with any new technology that will be implemented in our region to keep our local schools safe.