New York City officials are once again rolling out panic button technology in classrooms as part of an effort to combat rising school violence.
Under a new pilot program, 51 schools across the five boroughs will be equipped with "Emergency Alert System" buttons that can connect staff directly to emergency services. The system was developed by the city's Office of Technology and Innovation in partnership with SOS Technologies.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, who unveiled the plan at a press conference earlier this week, the goal is to provide rapid response times in active-shooter situations. "We cannot stop all of the senseless violence," he said, "but we're going to try like hell to do so." The system aims to save lives by connecting schools with emergency responders within 10 seconds.
The technology will be integrated into classrooms, as well as provided to some administrators through wireless pendants. While no mass shootings have occurred at city public schools in recent years, threats remain. In fact, a recent incident saw a 16-year-old student arrested after posting a threat on social media and having a loaded gun found in his backpack.
The city's effort comes amid the wake of over 1,900 school shootings nationwide since the last decade. The new panic button system is part of a broader initiative to prioritize student safety.
Under a new pilot program, 51 schools across the five boroughs will be equipped with "Emergency Alert System" buttons that can connect staff directly to emergency services. The system was developed by the city's Office of Technology and Innovation in partnership with SOS Technologies.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, who unveiled the plan at a press conference earlier this week, the goal is to provide rapid response times in active-shooter situations. "We cannot stop all of the senseless violence," he said, "but we're going to try like hell to do so." The system aims to save lives by connecting schools with emergency responders within 10 seconds.
The technology will be integrated into classrooms, as well as provided to some administrators through wireless pendants. While no mass shootings have occurred at city public schools in recent years, threats remain. In fact, a recent incident saw a 16-year-old student arrested after posting a threat on social media and having a loaded gun found in his backpack.
The city's effort comes amid the wake of over 1,900 school shootings nationwide since the last decade. The new panic button system is part of a broader initiative to prioritize student safety.
New York City is taking school safety so seriously and it's about time! 
I'm all for any initiative that can help prevent those senseless shootings. These emergency alert buttons are literally going to save lives, which is what it's all about. 10 seconds to connect with emergency responders? That's lightning fast! 
The fact that the city is investing in this tech shows they care and want to do something concrete to make our schools safer. Plus, the wireless pendants for admins are a nice touch - who wouldn't want to be connected in an emergency? 
. This new panic button tech seems like a solid step in the right direction - having those emergency alert buttons installed and staff able to connect with emergency services ASAP can really make a difference in situations like active shooters 
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... 1,900 school shootings in the last decade? That's just heartbreaking. But I guess this new initiative shows that city officials are taking student safety seriously 
. Fingers crossed it works out well and saves some lives!
they're like 11 seconds away from responding 
that's not exactly a huge difference if you know what i'm saying. also how reliable is this tech gonna be? what if it gets hacked or something? wouldn't that just make things worse? 
still gotta commend the city for trying tho, safety should be the top priority 
. It's great that Mayor Adams is prioritizing student safety and all, but have we considered like getting teachers trained in de-escalation techniques too? Maybe that'd help prevent some of the violence from escalating...
. We need to be having a more nuanced conversation about mental health, poverty, and systemic issues that contribute to violence.
. Seriously though, it's about time they did something. All these school shootings are crazy and I'm not gonna lie, as a parent, it freaks me out too. But at the same time, I don't know how many times you can press that panic button before you start feeling like Neo from The Matrix - "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in a different world." Just kidding, sorta 
. On a more serious note, it's cool that they're taking this seriously and trying to innovate solutions. Maybe we'll finally see some real change? 
! I'm just hope this system works as good in real life as it does in the video demos. And what's crazy is that no mass shootings have happened at NYC public schools in years, but we're still takin' precautions? Good on ya, Mayor Eric Adams and all those behind-the-scenes peeps! 
also, are we just making schools more dependent on emergency services or should they be empowered to handle their own emergencies? 
think we need a more holistic approach to school safety rather than just throwing new tech at the problem 
. The fact that 51 schools will be equipped with this technology is a good starting point, but I do hope further research and evaluation are conducted to refine the system and make it more effective 
idk if it's gonna make a difference tho but i guess its better than nothing lol i mean 10 seconds is pretty quick but still what about when the internet gets flooded with fake threats or something? that could be super confusing for the staff trying to respond quickly can't say i disagree with their efforts tho, safety first i guess 
. Furthermore, how will this technology be integrated into the existing education framework? Will it serve as a Band-Aid solution or address the root causes of school violence? I'd like to see more data on the pilot program's effectiveness before jumping to conclusions