Administrators in the Plano Independent School District have decided on panic buttons to keep students safe in schools.

Plano ISD associate superintendent Karla Oliver said part of the new security plan involves a special kind of panic button. “It is a general security measure, I would say, for many districts to have a panic button installed, maybe in their entryway or in their vestibule area where visitors would enter,” she explained. “This is a different approach that actually allows that to be mobile. If you see a threat or you see the potential of a threat you have it [the button] there onsite with you.”

The panic buttons immediately transmit a signal, with the exact location of the emergency, to school officials and 911 operators.

At least initially, the majority of school panic buttons will be issued at Plano elementary and early childhood campuses.