As the new school year starts, Gwinnett County Public Schools has put into place new safety and communication measures. The school district issues security badges to teachers and launches a new app/website where people can make anonymous tips to school officials.
“The district’s commitment to ensuring our staff and students can teach and learn in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment is something we never lose sight of,” says Dr. Al Taylor, GCPS chief of schools. “Last year, we made the commitment to recruit and hire more trained, certified, sworn law enforcement officers who provide on-site support for our students, staff, and community. We accomplished that, going from 92 sworn officers to 113. This year we are launching a new crisis alert system that gives each and every teacher and employee in our schools the ability to call for and get help immediately. We are also rolling out a new accessible and responsive mobile app that will make it easier for students and staff to report security and mental health concerns. The district’s balanced combination of proactive and responsive safety measures is working. It allows us to stay focused on our core business of teaching and learning.”
GCPS has beefed up security measures at all county schools with the CrisisAlert system. All teachers and staff at each school will be issued a CrisisAlert badge and it allows the badge holder to get help anywhere on campus.
The teacher or staff member simply clicks their badge three times and the badge triggers the CrisisAlert system. The system notifies a Staff Alert which alerts school administrators and first responders that there is an emergency. The alert lets responders know exactly where the badge holder that set off their badge is located, down to the floor and room. One alert from the system can lockdown an entire school.
The CrisisAlert system allows the teacher or staff member to call for help and do so quickly, discreetly and securely anywhere on campus.
On August 2, GCPS will launch the GCPS Tips app and website which will allow students, staff and the surrounding community the ability to report concerns to the school system securely and anonymously.
This new reporting system allows tipsters to send messages with no length limit, as well as attach photos, screenshots, videos, documents or audio. People can also choose to engage in two-way dialogue with a real person. The reports coming into the system will be monitored 24/7 to ensure any time-sensitive issue is dealt with in a timely manner. The mobile app will even notify users when action has been taken on their report.
Apple users can download the app in the “App Store” while Android users will download the app from “Google Play.” Those wishing to make a report through a web browser may do so at P3Campus.com/5105.
Gwinnett County Public School district’s first day of school is August 2, 2023. To view Gwinnett County Public Schools’ entire 2023-24 school year safety update, click here.
