AUSTIN, Texas — Apalachee High School in Georgia just started using panic alert badges.
The target of a deadly mass school shooting that left two students and two teachers dead on Wednesday, law enforcement officials are now saying the technology helped them get to the school and arrest the suspect just six minutes after a teacher used the device.
Texas schools will soon be seeing more silent panic technology similar to what was used at Apalachee.
Alyssa's Law went into effect in June 2023. It requires all Texas public and charter schools to install silent panic alarms in classrooms starting next school year.
The legislation is named after a student who was killed in the Parkland, Fla. school shooting in 2018.
Lockhart ISD just implemented their new system this February.
“We can see what's happening in the classroom so that we can respond,” Emily Marshall, the principal at Bluebonnet Elementary School, said, pointing to a computer screen showing a live camera feed of a classroom where a staff member’s silent panic alarm was pressed.
Lockhart ISD Superintendent Mark Estrada calls the device a game changer, even though it's named the Safe System.
“As soon as someone hits the silent alarm, it'll send a notification here,” Estrada explained, while standing in the administrator’s office. “It tells us where the alarm was triggered, which classroom, which hallway, etc.”
All staff will wear a silent panic alarm around their neck. If someone needs help or is in an emergency, safety teams would be alerted through texts and an alarm that can only be heard in the front office will sound.
“We immediately have access to an in-real-time camera that's in that classroom. Law enforcement has access to see what is going on in the classroom,” Estrada said.
However, he says it's not the safety tech upgrade that they wanted to get.
“Unfortunately, in today's culture, it's something that every school should have, while I wish that wasn’t the case,” Estrada said.
He says they got the Safe System in compliance with Alyssa’s Law because students and staff deserve to feel safe.
Estrada reiterated that Safe System is the same technology Apalachee High School used during its mass shooting incident this week.
“I think this technology is critical,” Estrada said. “... Parents trust us with their most precious gift, which is their children, so when kids come to our schools, we have to ensure that we are doing everything possible – regardless of the cost – to find the best technology to ensure that everyone is safe.”
The National Association of School Resource Officers' Executive Director Mo Canady says safety technology in schools has really evolved.
“Now, we've gone from metal detectors to full weapons detection systems,” Canady said.
Canady has two decades of experience as an SRO and says while technology is important, it's still just one piece of the puzzle.
“We can't ever forget about the human element that has to take place, and the basic security and safety issues that still have to go on,” Canady said.
He says it takes collaboration, education and communication between teachers, staff, SROs and now technology to keep schools safe.
Canady says that's what happened in Georgia this week.
“There's no victory here because lives were lost, and lives were changed forever, but thank goodness that the other elements were in place,” Canady explained. “There's no telling how many lives were saved because of the combination of those pieces of school safety.”
On Monday, Lockhart ISD will be hosting 15 school officials from across the state, who are coming to learn about the Safe System technology.