North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By Kaye Collins
To enhance safety and security across all campuses and facilities of Horry County schools, the district is implementing individual Centegix brand panic alert buttons.
This device is the size of a card and is typically worn on a lanyard around the necks of all staff members within a school district, ensuring it is highly accessible and remarkably user-friendly.
There exists a single button. Upon clicking it three times, an alert will be sent to the administrators in a specific building. Each school within the Horry County School District will designate a point of contact upon the activation of the device.
Additionally, individuals who have been appointed, including an assistant principal, a nurse, a school resource officer or any other personnel designated by the institution, will serve as on-site responders.
In a matter of seconds, users will be able to view on their mobile devices precisely who has pressed the badge button, their location on a digital campus map and the details of the alert.
This upgrade focuses on safety and security and has been under development for almost a year. It was a topic of discussion during the Back to School Media Day held in August. The Horry County School Board reviewed the implementation of the safety device during their retreat at the end of September, with a representative from Centegix available to address any questions or concerns.
The implementation of panic buttons is set to occur over the coming weeks and is currently in progress during non-instructional periods. The district has announced that all staff members will receive training on the correct usage of the device.
Centegix was established in 2019 as a response to a tragic school shooting, aiming to prevent similar incidents in the future. The reported cost for this upgrade is approximately $1 million.
