Madison County schools introduce new alert system

MADISON CO., Ala. (WAFF) - School safety is a primary concern going into the 2022-2023 school year for schools across the country.

The deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas sparked administrators across the country to revisit their safety procedures.

Madison County schools installed a new security alert system that can operate with a push of a button.

Dr. Mark Minskey, MCS Deputy Superintendent, talked about the importance of keeping students safe.

“Every day parents send their children to us, and we want to make sure we send them back to their houses every day safe,” Minskey said.

He said with the push of a button, a faculty member can effectively shut down a school during an emergency situation.

“We feel it’ll really enhance the time it would take to put a school into lockdown,” he said. “If a teacher gets in a medical situation or a student has an issue in the classroom, they can alert their administrators quickly with the push of a button.”

The system can also be used for severe weather situations.

“If we’re in a severe weather alert in any particular part of our school system, we can do that from our central office location, or the building administration can do that,” Minskey said. “It will then make an announcement.”

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