There may be an alternative to arming teachers to keep children safe, and one school seems to have found that alternative.<\/p>\n
On Monday, The New York Post<\/a> reported:<\/p>\n A Long Island school has rolled out what it says is one of America\u2019s most advanced security systems \u2013 able to autolock doors and assess threats in split seconds.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to save lives,\u201d XSponse CEO Lee Mandel said of Plainedge High School\u2019s new state-of-the-art protective system unveiled ahead of the new school year.<\/strong><\/p>\n …Announced a day after the tragic shooting<\/a> of Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, each classroom at the North Massapequa campus has been outfitted with doors that autolock during emergencies and high-tech video monitors that first responders can access in real time. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNo one has been able to put eyes into a classroom. We\u2019re, in essence, putting a first responder in every single classroom,\u201d added Mandel.<\/strong><\/p>\n School officials <\/a>\u2014 each of whom carries a special smart-ID badge to activate the system \u2014 can make both announcements and livestream video through the devices to classrooms sheltering in place.<\/strong><\/p>\n Badges have a Life Alert-esque panic button that, when pressed, sends a hyperlocal GPS location to its exact whereabouts in the building through a detailed, color-coded map of campus shared with responding authorities.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHaving that makes it incredible to really speed up the reaction time and the response for first responders,\u201d Mandel said.<\/strong><\/p>\n The badges also correspond to an active second in-classroom device that can communicate to the outside. Panic buttons are also placed around the school <\/a>for students to use in emergencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n The article notes:<\/p>\n What XSponse is doing in Plainedge \u2014 a blueprint for other schools across the nation \u2014 has been supported by two parents who have lost their own children during the Parkland school shooting of 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in the senseless attack, now works with the company to promote school safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter would want to know I\u2019m making a difference in the world,\u201d Pollack, originally of Oceanside, said.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing technology. I went to a board meeting in Plainedge, and it was a big turnout\u2026they all wanted to see it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Ryan Petty, who lost his daughter Alaina in the shooting, emphasized how significant even a few split seconds taken off a response time can be.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cParkland was over in under six minutes,\u201d Petty, now a member of the Florida State Board of Education working with XSponse, said.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is something all School Boards should investigate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There may be an alternative to arming teachers to keep children safe, and one school seems to have found that alternative. On Monday, The New York Post reported: A Long Island school has rolled out what it says is one … Continue reading