School Panic Button

Jon Jones ● Sep 30 ● 6 min read

In today’s day and age, the top priority for any educational facility is keeping students and staff safe and secure. Educators may find that school security planning involves a unique set of challenges. With many people entering and exiting throughout the day, it may seem difficult to implement a school security system with a school panic button that provides physical security without interfering with the learning environment. But, Monarch is here to help educators who strive to keep their learning environments safe.

Monarch recognizes that each school has its own set of issues, goals, and limits. After all, each educational facility has a unique design, setting, population, and other site-specific issues that call for varied degrees of flexibility and complexity to meet their particular demands. At Monarch, we will collaborate with you to build, deploy, and maintain an integrated security system for your school so you can concentrate on what really matters: creating a learning environment that encourages the future’s creators, innovators, and leaders to advance.

Security Challenges at Schools

As schools grapple with today’s challenges, it is important to partner with experienced security professionals who can help assess risks and implement effective solutions. By staying ahead of the curve, schools can keep their students, faculty, and staff safe from harm with advanced security systems. Consider some of the following security challenges faced by schools that must be addressed with a comprehensive approach:

• Gun Violence: In the wake of recent gun violence in schools, faculty must consider upgrading their security systems to include surveillance cameras, school panic buttons, alarms, sensors, and door controllers.
• Theft & Vandalism: According to the National Education Association (NEA), a school is three times more likely to be broken into than a business. Additionally, the NEA estimates that more than $1 billion is lost to vandalism each year in schools. Thus, it’s important to deter and capture these crimes with surveillance cameras that are part of your security system.
• Unlawful Intrusions: Ensure safety and security in schools by implementing a security system that includes door controllers and readers to prevent intrusions. If intrusions do occur, a school panic button enables one to immediately call for help.
• COVID-19 Safety: With schools returning to in-person operations, faculty should ensure safety through continuous monitoring of students with surveillance cameras and sensors.
• Physical Altercations: The NEA reports that 900 educators are threatened every hour of every school day. Furthermore, every hour, over 2,000 students are physically assaulted on school grounds. Keep your students and staff safe from fighting and bullying with environmental sensors that can detect excessive noise and movement.
• Vapes: Keep your students safe from the dangers of nicotine and addiction by implementing security systems with environmental sensors that can detect vaping.

School Panic Button

The first point – that of gun violence – is a sensitive topic that all administrators and staff must take into account. For this reason, school panic buttons have become increasingly common. After all, emergency situations that require a prompt response can occur at any time. Regardless of whether the emergency is because of an armed intruder, an assault, or a medical emergency, you should remain prepared to respond appropriately and quickly. With Verkada’s wireless school panic button, you can call for help immediately and discreetly.

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Description of the School Panic Button

Verkada’s Wireless Panic Button is perfect for schools. The panic button allows one to call for help immediately. The panic buttons should be readily available throughout the school. Thus, you can either mount the wireless school panic buttons in easily accessible places, like on a wall or under a desk, or you can wear them on a lanyard or a belt. If you’d like a digital option, you can also access a school panic button on the Command or Alarms app.

The wireless school panic button is meant to be discrete – hence its design. Additionally, in order to retain its inconspicuous nature, the button is not audibly activated when pressed. Instead, the button’s LED light illuminates to show that the signal was sent and received successfully. However, users have the option to activate additional Verkada devices when they press the school panic button; this includes devices that can lock doors, turn on sirens, or turn on strobe lights.

Moreover, you can determine who will be alerted and whether or not emergency services will be called automatically when the school panic button is pressed. To help emergency responders gain an understanding of the situation, you can also pair up to 10 cameras to each panic button. Pairing cameras with the school panic button allows you to quickly access live and previous video.

Using the School Panic Button

In order to use the Wireless Panic Button, you’ll have to purchase an Alarms license that comes with round-the-clock professional monitoring. Additionally, you will need a BH61 Wireless Alarm Hub and Hub license. One single Wireless Alarm Hub can maintain up to 50 wireless sensors. These wireless sensors include panic buttons, motion, door contact, glass break, and water leak sensors. The Wireless Hub has a line-of-site range of up to 1000 feet. When pressed, a portable wireless school panic button will automatically pair with the closest Hub and send a signal.

Features of the School Panic Button

The school panic button by Verkada has a number of features that make it appealing for many school districts. Consider the following:

• Visual Context: Through pairing the panic button with Verkada cameras, gain visual context of the situation.
• Customizable to User’s Preference: Adjust the button’s triggers and responses (e.g., automatically call first responder)
• 24/7 Monitoring: Integrated, round the clock, professional surveillance.
• Durable: 10 year-warranty and 5-year battery life guaranteed.
• Optional Emergency Responders Dispatch: With the click of a button, immediate police dispatch is available.

The Lock Down Feature

By pairing Verkada’s Wireless Panic button with Access Control devices, you can quickly initiate lockdown scenarios and response protocols. Additionally, you can activate lockdowns with a single tap on Command web or mobile or the Verkada Pass app. Moreover Verkada’s powerful, integrated platform enables you to resolve emergency scenarios more quickly by running emergency roll call reports, sharing live video feeds, and remotely unlocking doors for emergency responders.

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How The Lockdown Function Operates: 

1. Set up your organization’s lockdown capabilities and scenarios. Any number of lockdown procedures can be created to ensure the safety of your school.
2. Utilize Verkada’s integrated security platform to keep an eye on the school environment.
3. From any device, activate lockdown scenarios with a single tap. Administrators have the ability to define which user groups can release and activate a lockdown scenario.
4. Remain informed and handle situations safely.

Lockdown features are included free of charge with every Verkada Access Control door license.

Keep your school safe from intrusions and gun violence with the school panic button and other security measures offered by Verkada. To learn more about other security measures for schools, click here.

Updated: Oct 10