Mason school piloting panic button security system as school year takes off

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MASON, Ohio ( WLWT ) -- We're getting a firsthand look at new technology to keep students safe in the classroom.

Some schools are using safety badges, and one in Mason is trying out panic buttons.

These buttons were built to call for help, but not initially at schools. The technology was actually meant for hospital patients.

They’d click the button on the badge, and it would alert a nearby nurse if they needed help.

We’re told St. Susanna Parish School is the only school in the Greater Cincinnati area that has put this technology into play this school year.

"They can do it really discreetly, as I mentioned, just with the push of a button," Palarum Vice President of Operations Marc Roderick said. "And it could be anywhere from their classroom to outside, you know, in the field. And so that for us really provides the functionality that's needed in a situation like this because you don't know how or when it's going to happen."

Palarum is the company behind the new technology.

There are three tiers of situations teachers are trained to deal with.

If you click the button once, it means a teacher needs an extra set of hands.

If a teacher feels something isn't right, they hit it twice. Every other staff member is then immediately alerted through their badge.

If you hold that button down for three seconds, the school goes into lockdown, and it triggers a call to 911.

Supporters say it gives teachers more ownership over a potential threat.

"I think the biggest part of it is that it gives staff ownership of the process," St. Susanna Parish School Principal Dan Albrink said. "They can make that immediate call if something's not right."

"It's a way that we can do it discreetly outside of cell phones in a way that works for our police officers and our first responders, I think is super key," Roderick said.

If something does happen and police are called, they have the ability to track where teachers are in real time.

This is all a proactive measure, but the school is taking everyone’s safety seriously.

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