Higher security, higher costs: Panic buttons in schools
MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — With school shootings happening nationwide, there are continued calls on lawmakers to raise security and safety. The latest idea in Alabama: panic buttons.
'It's where, really, time equals lives,' Rep. Alan Baker (R-Brewton) said. 'So that's very important to get that location as quickly as possible, so that's really the intent with this technology.'
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That reality is why Baker proposed HB 234, a bill that would require school employees to wear a form of a panic button, whether it is on a lanyard or ID badge.
It is a practice already being used in Madison City Schools.
'Every employee has this alarm button,' Madison City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols said. 'If they press it three times, it alerts the principal, assistant principal, and the nurse that there's an issue. And it will tell them on their phone app or their desk where that issue is. If they press it multiple times, it will lock the school down.'
The buttons can be used for a variety of reasons, whether a weapon is detected on campus or a student is having a medical emergency. The latter being something Nichols said has been especially useful during the past two years using the system.
'It has been used a lot for seizures or a student that passes out or are those types of things,' Nichols said. 'So, you know, we feel like it's been a tremendous asset.'
But extra security comes at a cost. The school district pays roughly $100,000 a year for the system, a cost that could be a burden on smaller, rural schools.
'To require a school district to spend that money every year, the state needs to find that money,' Nichols said. 'And they need to fund some type of alert system if that's what they want to put in the bill.'
The current bill does not include a funding method, but Baker said local and state funds will be available to help.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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