ashley
cholis
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District will terminate its contract with Raptor Technologies on May 24, 2022, due to insufficient operations.
The board of directors voted on April 15 to instead enter into a five-year contract with Centegix, a crisis warning system, starting next year. Raptor Technologies' services will run from fiscal year 2023 to 2024.
Centegix provides a comprehensive mapping system, operates on a network independent of the school district, and provides employees with crisis alert badges to wear around their necks. Centegix installs its own network on which its security systems operate. This means that even if your school's internet fails or is generally unreliable, your system can continue to operate.
Pressing the badge multiple times alerts campus staff or the entire district that there is an incident, company representatives said. It also alerts local first responders. The program also offers visitor management and reunion features.
If a teacher believes the situation is particularly serious, they will press their badge several times to notify school leadership, building leadership, Centegix, 911, and law enforcement. Responders can identify exactly who and where the signal is coming from through a mapping system that lights up and drops at pinpoints. When multiple people press the badge, multiple red dots will pop up on the map. This indicates not only where the flag is coming from, but also the severity of the emergency.
This response automatically sounds an alarm and flashes red lights inside the school building so everyone is aware that an incident is occurring. In some cases, the program can disable campus monitors and screens and notify all staff to evacuate or respond to the incident.
Teachers and staff must wear these badges along with their regular staff badges that they use when entering school buildings. Employees will become familiar with how to use the badges once they are issued, but company representatives said this will likely be a learning process on the go. They encouraged schools to test badges on a daily basis to understand how they work.
Superintendent Ashley Cholis, who became involved with the group while lobbying in Washington, D.C., during Public Schools Week, acknowledged that a deal with Centegix would leave the Raptors behind.
Centegix is used in schools in 14 different states; According to a presentation on the technology, it is considered the primary security system in Texas. This program is being utilized in Brazosport ISD, Cochula ISD, Alamo Heights ISD, and more.
Cholis told the trustees that Raptor Technologies' app relies on cell phone service, and the presence of nearby phones complicates emergency response. She believes that moving forward with the partnership with Centegix will ensure that people have quick assistance whenever an incident occurs, she said.
Mr Choris said the group was offering its services at “very low” rates, but figures for the agreement were not included in the board's documents. Choris told Leader News on April 16 that Centegix wants to keep the discount price private at this time.
UCISD purchased Raptor software in October 2021 and deployed the technology during the May 24, 2022 shooting incident.
An official report after the shooting said the software failed to properly communicate warnings to all school staff who had the app downloaded on their phones.
Nevertheless, Ken Mueller, the district's former director of student services, touted Raptor Technologies and its effectiveness during an Oct. 11 webinar on school safety. Mueller was suspended with the UCISD Police Department in the fall after the shooting and ultimately retired from the district.
Sophie Zeman (szeman@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335) is a U.S. military member who writes about education and crime for Leader News.
