Decatur schools approve Raptor badge alert system and annual renewal for districtwide safety coverage

The Decatur School District 61 Board of Education on Dec. 16 approved the purchase and annual renewal of a Raptor Technologies badge-alert system intended to speed response during medical emergencies or active-shooter incidents.

District staff and a Raptor representative explained that staff-issued badges communicate with gateways placed throughout buildings to triangulate a staff member's location and, when activated, can notify on-site SROs, district administration and — if configured for violent incidents — 911. The district described the system as covering campus fence-to-fence areas and athletic fields for events such as homecoming.

A district staff member explained the rationale: the system reduces response time by giving precise location data when an emergency is initiated and can distinguish between medical events and active-shooter alerts to route appropriate responses. The Raptor representative described the gateway hardware as a single network connection that receives long-range radio-frequency signals from badges and noted Raptor will perform installation, testing and on-site training.

Board members asked about cost, infrastructure and replacement. The vendor told the board there are no replacement costs to the district for lost badges; replacements and additional badges are covered under the annual agreement. The annual recurring cost cited during the discussion was $120,000 per year for a 36-month subscription that includes equipment handling and service.

The board approved the initial badge-alert purchase and then approved the Raptor annual renewal on a roll-call voice vote (each motion carried 6–0 with one member absent).

Implementation notes: administration said Raptor will install multiple gateways per building, perform testing for coverage and run staff training and reunification drills scheduled during the spring.