Safety technology now in all Worthington City Schools buildings

WORTHINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) — After being piloted in some Worthington schools, technology about the size of a credit card meant to enhance safety is now being used in all Worthington City Schools (WCS) buildings.

“People are super thankful about the response time and the folks who show up, it's been very important for us," said Jeff Maddox, assistant superintendent of WCS, about the technology.

It's made by a company called Centegix. The device has a button in the middle. If it's pressed a few times for something like a medical situation, a team inside the school is alerted. If it's pressed more for a situation more serious, like a shooting, the 911 center and school staff is alerted right away.

“There’s layers of communication opportunities for us in our school systems, but this is one more of those layers," Maddox said. 

WCS piloted the technology in five schools last year. The district expanded it to all buildings for the beginning of this academic year.  

“The empowering of our staff, if they see something that isn't right, now they have the opportunity to be able to in real time have a response to that and then also response time really matters," Maddox said. 

He told NBC4 since the district began using the technology, it's been utilized in for medical situations and occasional fights. He also said it helps with response times.

"Comes down to communication. Comes down to the trust we have for every one of our staff members to be able to have a voice now in school safety. That's important for all of us," Maddox said. "We want people if they see something that isn't right they now have the ability to be able to in real time communicate that."