Richland Two introduces “CrisisAlert” badges, allowing teachers to signal emergencies and initiate lockdowns

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Richland School District Two is introducing a new safety feature for its teachers and staff.

The “CrisisAlert” badge can be worn on a lanyard around a teacher’s neck or just kept in their pocket. The badges are made by a company out of Georgia called Centegix.

According to Centegix officials, by pressing the button on the badge three times, the teacher or staff member can signal a medical emergency. Eight clicks or more initiates a schoolwide lockdown, calls 911,  and alerts the police to the teacher’s exact location on campus.

Vice Chair of Richland 2 School Board, Dr. Monica Scott, says the new badges will provide additional peace of mind.

“I think it’s going to bring that extra security that many of our students, our parents, our teachers, our community and our school board members want and need. It’s that extra measurement to show them that we care — not only about their physical safety, but about their emotional and mental safety as well,” Scott says.

Senior Regional Vice President Alysse Daniels with Centegix says the company has customers in over 4,000 districts from 30 states across America.

“Last year alone, we had over 80,000 alerts. Now that number is so high because we actually are used 97% of the time for day-to-day issues. Your medical emergencies, fights, unauthorized visitors, and we are also used for the full-scale lockdowns when you need to notify everyone instantly that there is a situation and they need to get behind a closed and locked door,” says Daniels.

According to Centegix, the system operates on its own network — independently of Wi-Fi and cellular coverage.

Daniels says every staff member within the district gets a badge.

“And that’s really important to note, because when you talk about your cafeteria workers, your grounds people, you want every single person to be able to call for help,” Daniels says.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says should law enforcement be notified, the system alerts everyone within the department including the School Resource Officer.

“When you have a situation with school, it’s seconds — not minutes — that count. And this is going to eliminate a lot of time to respond during an emergency situation,” Lott says.

Richland School District Two is now the first district in the state to implement this technology.  According to Centegix, other districts are now reaching out about their product.