TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. Christopher's School in the Town of Tonawanda has added two new security upgrades, including a visitor management system and wearable panic buttons for all staff.
All visitors must now check in at a kiosk and scan their driver's license before entering the building.
"They have to have their license with them. They put their license up to the kiosk. The license then connects with local law enforcement databases, and then they get their picture taken, and then the badge is printed with their picture and the reason that they're at school," said Principal Denise Cronyn.
The second major upgrade puts safety directly in the hands of staff members.
"Every adult in the building has a wearable panic button," Cronyn said.
Bill Nabb, president of INK Labs, which supplied the safety platform from Centegix, a national company, tells me the panic buttons are available to everyone associated with the school.
"This is going for everybody that's associated with the school, faculty members, people that work in the cafeteria, the custodians, everybody like that," Nabb said.
WATCH: ‘It is a little peace of mind': St. Christopher's School adds new security upgrades in Tonawanda
The panic buttons allow an instant alert to 9 designated first responders inside the school. The system can be used for any emergency — such as an ill student or teacher, or an outside threat — and can connect to 9-1-1 if needed.
"If you see something that doesn't look right, don't fear. Okay, push the button, ask for local assistance. If you see something that looks larger than that, where we need to put the building in lockdown. Go ahead and activate it that way too," Nabb said.
Cronyn said safety is her first priority for the 370 students, faculty and staff in the building.
I was in a classroom as students reacted to a lockdown drill, with beacons and strobes in hallways and classrooms signaling the lockdown. The system also pinpoints the exact location of an emergency.
"It is a little peace of mind for all of us. Yes," Cronyn said.
The safety measures were funded by St. Christopher's parents through the school's annual gala.
"I had said to them, you know, if we raise enough money at our annual gala, the proceeds will go towards these upgrades, and the parents did it," Cronyn said.
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