Pasadena Independent School District officials told the Board of Trustees on Aug. 26 that the district is deploying new safety tools — an anonymous alerting system for students and staff and wearable crisis alert badges for employees — to speed response and improve campus safety. Chief McMahan and Emergency Management Safety Director Derek Duckett presented the systems and related usage data.
Duckett said the anonymous alerting tool, accessible from campus homepages and the district website, logged more than 500 reports last year and allows two-way anonymous communication with students. "It allows us a two way communication back and forth with those students," Duckett said, describing follow-up and investigation procedures. He said principal, police, executive cabinet and relevant administrators receive alerts to ensure an all-hands response.
Duckett and Chief McMahan also outlined a new districtwide crisis alert badge being issued to staff. The wearable badge can send different alert levels — from a request for assistance or medical help to a repeated-press lockdown alert that notifies the entire campus, triggers visual beacons and intercom instructions, and shows the exact location of the alert on a map for first responders. Duckett said the badge integrates with classroom devices and visual cues for deaf students, and that some campuses have already used the system during drills and incidents.
Both presenters tied the systems to broader goals of safety supporting teaching and learning, and credited improved morale and responsiveness in the police department under current leadership. Board members received the report for information and asked for an end-of-year update on outcomes for the first full year of badge deployment.