Buckeye Local Schools to implement new safety alert system next school year

YORK TWP. — Buckeye Schools is the first district in Medina County to implement CENTEGIX, which allows staff to alert others of safety concerns at the touch of a button. The new technology is a badge about the size of a credit card and it will be given to all staff members, Buckeye Superintendent Jeff Harrison said. When someone presses the button on the back of it three times, the district's security team will receive an alert. "On the security team's phones, (there will be) a map of the building and the exact location of where that emergency is happening," he said. If the button is pressed eight times, the entire district goes into lockdown, Harrison said. A notification goes to the Medina County Sheriff's Office, safety strobe lights will go off, an announcement will be given over the PA system, and computers on the network will provide directions. "What we hope to accomplish here is to provide a level of security and safety that we would not have any other time because not every employee has a radio," he said. "Not every employee will be in an area in our building where they have a classroom telephone." Although the alert system can be used if there is a threat, it will mainly be used for more common safety problems, such as if a student is having a medical emergency, Harrison said. "With school safety, so many times we are always worried about the worst-case scenario because it's what we see on the news every single day (such as) mass shootings or school shooter situations, which are tragic," he said. "Honestly, there are other day-to-day things that happen in a school district that are of just as much concern with the safety of our students and staff." The cost for the program is about $24,000 a year, and recently awarded grant funding from the state will be used to help pay for it, Harrison said. The new system will be in place for the next school year. "We have an extra professional development day at the beginning of the school year before students arrive next year," he said. "That's where we will train on this system as well as work with the Medina County Sheriff's (Office) to update and just go over all of our safety protocols." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.