MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Montgomery County Schools has a new alert system in place called Centigix.
“I already feel safer in my classroom,” said Baesha Bridges, a seventh grade science teacher. “I had a student pass out, and it was an immediate three clicks and then I had the entire cavalry coming which was such a relief.”
School staff wear lanyards that have a button - with three clicks of that button, school administrators, student resource officers and the school nurse are alerted. If you keep clicking, the alert goes out to local police and fire.
“We think about the ability for response time to be decreased as much as possible, and this really does that,” said Superintendent Matt Thompson.
Thompson told LEX18 that Centigix has been operational for about a month. He said only a handful of districts in Kentucky use the system.
“It takes all of us to keep everybody safe,” said Thompson.
The badges have GPS locators, so the response is streamlined. They can also use the system for visitors, to make sure guests are where they say they are. Police Chief Chris Barrier told LEX18 it's also cost effective.
“It’s a much better way to provide safety and security for our people at a very reduced cost - for only three cents a day per person per day in our district,” said the chief.
Barrier said they also increased the number of SRO's from two to nine.
