Massachusetts District Adds Emergency Call Buttons
Quincy Public Schools has installed dozens of emergency call buttons on its campuses as a school safety measure.
- By Jessica Davis
- March 20, 2019
Quincy Public Schools has installed dozens of emergency call buttons on its campuses as a school safety measure.
Each of Quincy’s schools now has at least three emergency call buttons installed on its campus, funded by a $20,000 state homeland securities grant.
The buttons give staff an immediate and inconspicuous way to contact police in an emergency. According to School Committee member Anthony Andronico, the buttons are part of a multi-year initiative to increase safety in all the district’s buildings.
“We used emergency call buttons at my alma mater and they were very effective and useful in de-escalating emergency situations,” Andronico said. “It just helps us add an extra layer of security.”
Quincy Public Schools worked with Quincy police to secure the grant and install the buttons in strategic locations throughout each school building. Every campus has at least three, with the high schools each receiving five.
“It makes a tremendous difference in the schools to have that extra way to handle an emergency call, it really does,” Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro said. “As they’re installed, we’ve been making sure that the office staff and teachers are immediately aware of where they are and what they can do.”
Andronico said the district has taken multiple steps to increase school security in the last few years, including a refresh of campus visitor policies and updating every door on its campuses to insure that they can be locked from the inside.
“The committee has been pretty proactive in the approach to school security and we’re always looking for other ways to add to that,” he said.
Andronico said the school department will use the rest of the $20,000 grant to upgrade video surveillance on campuses. In addition, the district will apply this month for a technology grant awarded by the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.