Our commitment to student and staff safety and our focus on Safe and Supportive Schools, one of the five areas of our strategic plan, has led Lawrence Public Schools to purchase additional tools to proactively assist our staff in maintaining safe learning environments for all students. 

 

With student and staff safety at the forefront, the Lawrence Board of Education used a Kansas Safe Schools Grant, providing 50% matching funds, to purchase the Centegix Crisis Alert system. It adds another layer of protection for our schools. The district is piloting this system at six schools -- Cordley, Deerfield, Sunset Hill, Woodlawn, Billy Mills Middle School, and Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. These schools are of varying geographic location and size and agreed to test the system and provide us feedback. 

 

Teachers and staff at these schools are wearing badges that include an alert button. In the event of an emergency, staff can press this alert button to immediately notify school and district administration and first responders of a safety concern. These alerts provide the location of the individual calling for assistance to facilitate a rapid, targeted response as needed.

 

Our first priority is maintaining safe and secure learning environments for all students and staff. We also want our schools to be welcoming places. This technology operates in the background to enhance our existing safety and security measures and assists us in proactively addressing potential concerns.