Olathe district details safety upgrades, shifts from ALICE to Standard Response protocol

Olathe Public Schools officials briefed the Board of Education on a series of security upgrades and a change in emergency procedure at the district's regular meeting. Brent Kiger said the district has expanded classroom beacons and strobes, installed nightlock barricade devices and ballistic window film, and upgraded visitor and student‑screening software to better detect threats. The changes, Kiger said, are part of a multilayered safety strategy that combines technology, staff, and training. “Bridal Alert, by Syntegix, gives staff a way to press a badge and immediately notify the safety team,” Kiger said. He reported about 3,800 badge presses districtwide this past school year, down from about 4,300 the year before, and said the decline reflects staff learning appropriate uses rather than a drop in concerning behavior. Dr. McMullen highlighted staffing changes and programming that accompany the technology. He said the district ended a third‑party security contract and now employs retired Olathe police officers as school safety specialists. He also described the school resource officer (SRO) partnership with the city as “one of the best partnerships I think we have in our school district.” Liz Hawkins, the district’s co‑responder and a trained social worker, described mental‑health contacts last year: she reported more than 300 contacts and about 20 Johnson County Mental Health intakes facilitated through the role. “She is such a liaison,” Dr. McMullen said, noting Hawkins helps expedite intake and connect families to outside agencies. On technology, Josh Humphrey’s technology team rolled out Lightspeed monitoring and new IT ticketing/asset management tools. Kiger said Lightspeed flags concerning student screen activity for human review so staff can intervene when students show signs of self‑harm or threat. The district also widened its use of Raptor visitor management and said it scanned more than 47,000 visitors across buildings last year. The district is replacing the ALICE active‑shooter protocol with the Standard Response Protocol, Kiger said, to reduce the decision burden on teachers in crisis and to provide consistent, age‑appropriate language for multiple hazards. Under the new system, schools will use five standard actions—Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter—each tied to coordinated alerts (Kiger said strobes and badges will flash predetermined colors, with purple indicating “Hold”). Board members asked about details and communications. Miss Reagan said she supported the shift because it reduces the pressure on classroom teachers to make split‑second tactical choices. Miss Steele thanked district staff and said the changes made staff feel safer. Dr. McMullen said training modules and a district video will be provided to staff and that parent communications will follow. The board did not take formal action on the safety presentation during the meeting; presenters said the changes are being rolled out districtwide with mandatory staff training to be completed before students arrive.