As of December 20, there were 300 school shootings in 2022. A decade ago, that number was 15. While debates rage on about the best way to tackle this issue as a society, we as parents, educators and administrators must implement fail-proof tools to protect our children.
As husband and wife, we have more than 90 years of combined experience in school administration and operations working with students, families and educators at all levels. From serving local school districts and universities to Rod’s time as U.S. Secretary of Education, we have learned one key lesson: we must place safety above all else.
Tragedies like the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde have demonstrated what many of us know all too well – every second counts in a crisis. Split-second decisions, like the time it takes to signal an alert, can be the difference between a safely resolved close call and another tragedy.
In the wake of recent shootings, lawmakers have called for hardening schools – adding protecting glass to make classroom windows bulletproof, installing metal detectors and automatic locks – all while striving to maintain a conducive learning environment.
Thanks to the passage of legislation like Alyssa’s Law in Florida, named for a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, schools started installing Silent Panic Alarm Technology (SPAT). These alarms can be activated silently and are intended to signal to staff, students and emergency responders that an incident has occurred.
Over 80% of Texas schools currently use an app-based SPAT, including Robb Elementary in Uvalde. Unfortunately, the design of these systems simply creates the illusion of safety while leaving our children vulnerable.
These alerts work like any other app on your phone. Teachers install the software from the Apple App or Google Play store and log in to an account the district sets up for them.
However, if you have ever urgently tried to load a confirmation email or a digital boarding pass with limited Wi-Fi you can see the major flaw with relying on the same technology to alert police to a shooting. These apps require internet access to both send and receive an alert, meaning if your service is spotty, you could completely miss an alert.
A crisis does not care whether the Wi-Fi is slow or that a teacher forgot their password. A crisis will not wait for you to dig through your purse for your phone, only then to navigate through a menu. Every second matters.
Fortunately, the tools needed to help secure our schools are already in reach. Practical, tangible technology that doesn’t rely on an internet connection has been perfected to the point that it can be worn around a teacher’s neck and allows for discrete activation. Bluetooth technology can give first responders specific, classroom-by-classroom location data, all triggered without the need for a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
In the case of an active shooter, badges with built-in panic buttons can simultaneously send out alerts to law enforcement and school administrators during an emergency. These panic buttons can also activate audio and visual alarms across campus, sending students into lockdown in seconds.
These types of solutions epitomize the mission of placing safety above all: discrete, easy-to-use tools that can always be depended on.
The tragedy in Uvalde was another grim reminder that we cannot simply check the box of school safety. Half measures and thinking “that could never happen here” will only result in more preventable violence, more lives lost and more futures needlessly wasted. We must accept the painful truth that our schools–and our children–have become targets for violence, and we must work together to find and embrace solutions that place safety above all else.
Roderick Paige is a former U.S. Secretary of Education and served the Houston Independent School District as both superintendent and as a member of the Board of Education. Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige serves on the Board of Regents at Texas Southern University and is CEO of the Nellons Paige Group consulting firm.