District describes ‘panic button’ app funded by governor’s office to speed first-responder alerts

District officials described a mobile "panic button" app — identified in the meeting as a Rave/Motorola product and funded through the governor’s office — that links campus alerts directly to 911, district supervisory staff and local first responders to accelerate emergency response.

Mark Torvitt, director of child welfare and attendance, said the system is being rolled out to schools and is funded by the governor’s office. He described the app as a tool for a range of campus incidents — not solely active-shooter scenarios — and said that alerts can go to 911, district supervisors, SWAT commanders, fire chiefs or other designated first responders. Torvitt said many schools are adopting the system, though some staff were hesitant about the new technology.

He said the district trained school teams with state representatives and local emergency-preparedness personnel and is coordinating with local law enforcement, including state police. Torvitt noted the district is in talks with neighboring Lafourche Parish about extending coordination where response times could be quicker from nearby units.

Board members asked about account management and annual refresh procedures to remove former employees from the app. Torvitt said training covered how to delete staff members who no longer work for the district and other account-management issues. The district also described the app as a virtual button accessed via phone and said supervisors and designated staff receive immediate notifications so they can respond quickly and call back if needed.

District staff said the product has been presented to first responders and local emergency-preparedness partners and that the district will continue training and rollout.