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Safety alert implementations doubled from 2021 to 2022

By Security Staff

A report on the effect of safety tools in K-12 schools across the country was released and highlighted the benefits of wearable panic button solutions. The School Safety Trends Report: Fall 2022 analyzed over 50,000 incidents gathered from CENTEGIX's CrisisAlert usage data for the Fall 2022 semester, along with survey data from 1,200 educators and staff who have used the platform to call for help.

According to the survey results, access to a safety solution that offers campus-wide coverage with precise location indication was highly effective in protecting staff and students. This correlates with the usage data that showed 47% of incidents reported in the fall of 2022 occurred outside the classroom.

Additional key highlights include:

Safety alert implementations doubled from 2021 to 2022.

Elementary schools continue to experience the highest rate of alerts out of all school types, averaging 22.8 alerts per semester. High schools saw an increase in alerts from 14.6 to 15.9 alerts per semester; while middle schools saw a dip from 16.8 to 14.5 alerts per semester.

Due to increased implementations, over 7,900 staff members initiated alerts — far surpassing last semester's peak of 4,800 staff members — for an average of 2.9 times each.

Analysis of staff and campus-wide alerts shows that 53% of safety incidents happen in the classroom; other common areas for alerts include hallways (18%), parking lots, playgrounds or other exterior locations (9%), cafeterias (3%), administration or front offices (2%).

Everyday emergencies, such as medical and behavior incidents, represent just over 98% of all alerts. The combined behavior categories (student conduct, elopement and physical altercation) represented 84% of all alerts.

Medical incidents continued to make up a large portion of usage, roughly 12%.