Latest news with #panicbutton
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Broward County Public Schools issue alert badges to all staff in event of emergency
Monday is the first day of school in Broward County and there's an added layer of security this year: All staff will be wearing an alert badge that brings help immediately in the event of an emergency. Staff at Coral Cove Academy of the Arts K-8 in Miramar got a vital lesson in school security on Friday. They were among the final staff district-wide in Broward to learn about the new crisis alert panic buttons. About 30,000 badges have been distributed at 250 school sites, where the badges alert administrators and first responders when there's an emergency on campus. Three presses of the button mean there's a medical emergency or something suspicious, which administrators address; eight presses trigger a lockdown and a 9-1-1 notification. Emergency management coordinator Thomas Dusch, who was instructing staff in Miramar on Friday, told CBS News Miami it's about saving time because emergency responders get a map pinpointing your location. As you move, the badge moves with you and allows first responders to track you, and response time can mean the difference between life and death. Teacher Maria Garcia said it gives her peace of mind. "I do feel safer," she told CBS News Miami." I'm a music teacher, so I go room to room [and] they know exactly where I am." It's a long way from the 2018 deadly school shooting in Parkland, which revealed lapses in school security and communication. The crisis alert badges are the result of Alyssa's Law, named for Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the 17 who died at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. "This is something we have needed for a while," said Principal Stephanie Saban. As of Friday, all the alert badges are active, so everything is set for the first day of classes on Monday and is ready for everything, including false alarms.
CBS News
07-08-2025
- General
- CBS News
Coppell ISD installs panic buttons in classrooms under new Texas law
Starting this school year, all classrooms in Texas must have a panic button. This is part of a new requirement under Senate Bill 838, which passed in 2023 but is just now going into effect. Coppell ISD says it began installing the new technology earlier this year to ensure all 17 campuses are ready by the first day of school. "It's in every classroom, every office, any space that would be occupied by a member of our staff or students that could experience any kind of distress, so there are over 100 in this building," said Sara Balarin, principal at Coppell Middle School West. Over the summer, the district has been testing the panic buttons. "We've taught our students about what this looks like and when is an appropriate time to press the button, when it's not. And we're now at the phase of sharing that with parents," said Balarin. Mark Bradford, safety and security coordinator for the district, says, "What this does is it allows for immediate notification from the teacher to the campus personnel and the campus security to be able to respond to incidents." According to the bill, districts can use funds from the state safety grant. Coppell ISD says the upgrade cost them $865,000. "You carry the weight of 1,400 people's safety being the top priority and knowing that there's another added layer, just adds to that peace of mind for us, for parents, for our students, for our staff," said Balarin.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- BBC News
Kent woman invents panic alarm using domestic appliances
"Behind closed doors he was a monster," said Katy Longhurst, who claims she suffered years of domestic abuse from an ex-partner and was often prevented from accessing her panic alarm."I needed something that could be readily available in any room in my house, and I didn't need to make a noise, didn't need to reach for my phone," she Ms Longhurst, from Kent, created software which allows victims to call for help secretly, by switching on and off an electrical appliance to send a signal through the mains power supply which then triggers a push notification to a Alexander, from the Oasis Domestic Abuse Service, said the system offered "a great way to alert somebody that you're in danger, and then get the response that you need". 'Call for help from hairdryer' "It's a tool in your tool kit as a victim of domestic abuse that keeps you safer," she Longhurst, an IT engineer, said she wanted the software, called Ask Joan, to be accessible. She said she has tried to control the cost of the app, which is nearly £10 a month, as she is aware of how economic abuse can impact victims."My ex-partner would lock me in my bedroom, so I wanted to be able to call for help from my hairdryer, or if I was in the kitchen I could use my kettle, my air fryer, something that was an everyday household appliance," she added that a smart meter or similar device is used to help detect any unusual surges in energy when an appliance is switched on and off in a certain pattern."We will send a push notification directly to your next-of-kin or your point of contact, in line with your safety plan."Ms Longhurst, who now has a non-molestation order in place, said her attacker sometimes hid in her cellar and put listening devices around her home. "I had 169 crime reports. He broke my ribs, he cracked my cheekbone, he broke my nose," she said her abuser tracked her down after she was moved to Northern Ireland."My family didn't really believe me because he was Jekyll and Hyde. To the outside world he was the most perfect businessman." Ms Longhurst said the Ask Joan technology was first introduced under a pilot scheme with a support group of other domestic abuse survivors in Kent. She said local authorities and charities could refer victims who might benefit from a secret SOS Ask Joan system is also being made available as a smartphone app, said Ms Council in Norfolk is trialling the app. Staff have distributed 19 units and they are now offered as part of every new referral, said a council comes as the Kent-based Oasis Domestic Abuse Service charity is warning of a surge in incidents of domestic abuse during the school holidays, when victims may struggle to pick up the phone for help and advice."It's not so easy to do when there are children around and there's a perpetrator at home," said Ms Alexander."If you're isolated from friends and family you may not have anyone that can help you during that period of time."If you are affected by any of the issues raised, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on panic button critics, Mother's Day and rodeo cruelty
Irvington, N.Y.: David Catalfamo's recent piece (in the New York Post) mocking New York City's panic button program for bodegas wasn't just out of touch, it was shameful. It's even more disappointing considering David once worked for Gov. George Pataki, a leader who felt the pain of everyday New Yorkers, especially the small businesses that are the soul of this city. Before you wrote that column, did you stop and ask yourself, 'What would Pataki say?' I doubt that a man who stood tall during 9/11 would ever laugh at working-class New Yorkers being hunted in their places of business. David, this isn't some 'Diet Coke button' joke from the White House. This is about blood on the floors of bodegas. It's about mothers getting phone calls they'll never forget. It's about clerks who never got to clock out. A panic button isn't a stunt. It's a lifeline for people who've been forgotten and targeted. You tried to compare this program to Andrew Cuomo handing out necklaces to defend himself from harassment claims. That wasn't funny, it was offensive. Or to Curtis Sliwa putting panic buttons in Guardian Angel berets, as if crimefighting is some retro costume party. But here's the difference: Mayor Adams didn't laugh. He listened. When bodega owners called out for help after stabbings, shootings and robberies became a nightly reality, Adams stepped up. He didn't offer a slogan. He offered a solution. And while it may not be perfect, it's a real step toward keeping our workers alive. That's more than we've gotten from a dozen press conferences and empty promises before him. Fernando Mateo, spokesman, United Bodegas of America Manhattan: The Campaign Finance Board denied Adams $4 million to help underwrite his barely visible reelection campaign. And, as you reported, he's rehired his shady 27-year-old pal Brianna Suggs to reel in some bucks. She's already been paid nearly half a million dollars for services rendered. And, as previously reported, Adams' campaign donations in the past quarter wouldn't cover the cost of Broadway tickets to 'Good Night, and Good Luck' with George Clooney. Mayor Adams, that play's title sure sounds like the message being sent to you. Frankie Turchiano Manhattan: Elected officials just do not pick up the phone. They have: 'Due to high volume, we can not answer the phone.' Well, due to high volume, I will stop voting. I've said it many times before — this is the tip of the iceberg. I will not vote any longer as of today. I can't ever get through to the Board of Elections, either. They don't pick up. Helen Murphy Bloomfield, N.J.: Saluting all those who were wonderful maternal figures this Mother's Day. For me, it was Great Aunt Florrie. Her birthday overlaps with this special day. Born in 1897, the year President William McKinley took office, she later quit grammar school for factory work capping toothpaste and testing light bulbs to help support her family. Imagine the history she witnessed. My great aunt was a teenager when the Titanic sank, a lady in the Roaring '20s. Wishing I asked more questions. A nurturing presence, she took me on outings and encouraged my love of books. In her 90s, I drove her around town, revisiting her favorite places. She paid me the ultimate compliment when she said, 'When I'm with you, it's like you were my little girl.' Christine Sparta Bloomington, Ind.: My brother and I were in our mid-50s. It had been nearly a year since my father passed away, and this was our first Thanksgiving without him. His absence was conspicuous as we gathered in my mom's dining room. After a quiet meal, we began reminiscing about past holidays. One year, my parents decided that my brother and I, who were 9 and 10 at the time, were too old for baskets from the Easter Bunny. Although we were disappointed, we didn't let on then. Decades later, we revealed this traumatic childhood event. Of course, it was lighthearted. I told my mom I should have received at least one more Easter basket because my brother was older, yet they cut us both off in one fell swoop! When Christmas arrived, beneath the tree sat a large, vibrant basket filled with candy and colored eggs, accompanied by a note: 'Merry Christmas from the Easter Bunny!' Scott Thompson Denver: In 1969, my Alabama high school head football coach (Lavon Kelly, father of college coach Charles Kelly) sacked me before after-school practice, saying, 'Mike, before you practice and play, you must go home and make it right with your mother.' As a fatherless senior, I had been abusing my cancer-stricken mother. I cursed her while demanding the car keys and cash to go on a date wearing 'men's cologne' (English Leather) with my girlfriend. When I was called out of school for her death on Jan. 13, 1970, I was weeping, but too late. Many times, I've shared this with my high-needs middle school students as their long-term substitute teacher, begging them to please not be like 'Mr. Mike' and honor their mothers. Mike Sawyer Ottawa, Ontario: I am delighted to read that six U.S. state governors invited six Canadian premiers for discussion about tariffs. It is a good start. That's the way to have a healthy dose of communication and move forward. I feel that with the good meeting that took place between the Canadian prime minister and President Trump, things will get better between Canada and the U.S. Both countries need each other and they will continue, despite teaser conflict sometimes. Anant Nagpur Edison, N.J.: Why does Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent constantly avoid answering yes-or-no questions by quickly rambling inane inaccuracies in front of congressional committees? Maybe he should check with his leader, Vladimir Putin, before he sits in front of these committees to answer questions. On another note, does anybody think Cheat-O Jesus knew that Bessent is part of the LGBTQ community before appointing him? And why no screaming MAGAs like the way they treated Pete Buttigeig? Thomas Morrison Paramus, N.J.: How long before the orange felon takes credit for the American pope? Tom Greff Manhattan: I must agree with my beautiful MAGA maggots. Joe Biden rigged that fake conclave. Donald Chump won in a landslide. An American pope, and it's not the smartest Bible-selling American in the world. Raymond McEaddy Bronx: Why do these comedians think it's alright to joke about us? They don't do it to others. Now the pope, not a day old and they were already bashing him. And during our holiest of days, joking about our Lord. Respect us. It's not funny being the butt of their jokes. Julio E. Rivera Brooklyn: I switched from MetroCard to OMNY in February and already regret it. After a long-delayed response to a complaint, customer service admitted that no subway customer can really find out how much money is on an OMNY card. The OMNY vending machines in subway stations run an hour or more late in registering how many trips were taken. I'll stay with the MetroCard, where I can look at the turnstile and see just how much money I have left. Mary Foutz Oakland, Calif.: Sincere condolences to the family and friends of renowned Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association calf roper Roy Cooper, who died in a Texas house fire last month. That said, tie-down calf roping should be outlawed worldwide. Consider the following: 'Yeah, I accidentally killed and injured lots of calves when I was learning. I mean, I plain roped their heads off' (in 'The mud, the blood & the poop,' Colorado Springs Independent, Aug. 19, 2004). And this from world-renowned animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin: 'The single worst thing you can do to an animal emotionally is to make it feel afraid. Fear is so bad for animals I think it's worse than pain.' More than enough reason to outlaw tie-down calf roping: terrified babies separated from their mothers, a true crime against nature. Eric Mills
