Orange County Public Schools will have an extra layer of security when students return in August.
Earlier this month, the school board authorized a contract with Centegix for its Rapid Response System and Visitor Management. The combination hardware and software will provide a quicker response in the event of emergencies including medical and behavioral situations as well as incidents requiring a building lockdown.
“After the incident at Orange Elementary School there was quite a bit of interest in weapons detection,” OCPS Executive Director of Transportation and School Safety Justin Sarver said, making reference to a 2024 incident in which a 6-year-old unknowingly brought a firearm to school in her backpack. In March, Drakar Lee Rawlings was sentenced in the incident, having placed the gun in the girl’s backpack during a traffic stop. He received seven years in prison and 12 months in jail. The incident also triggered a probation violation in a separate county, adding additional incarceration time.
Sarver said the need to add on an additional layer of security to already existing protocols was evident. The Blue Ribbon Panel and the Orange County Safe and Supportive Schools Taskforce evaluated a variety of solutions, selecting the Centegix system. It places a panic button in the hands of every staff member which will be worn on a lanyard. The button can be pressed in various patterns to declare an emergency whether it’s medical, students involved in a physical altercation or an intruder. It also includes a mapping system and camera integration to determine exactly where the button was pressed. Pre-established protocols are initiated with the push of the button and depending on the type of emergency, information is simultaneously provided to the E-911 center. Beacons will also be installed in each classroom, restroom and common area that will provide audio and visual alerts when an emergency is declared.
The system, Sarver said, takes all of the thought out of declaring an emergency and frees up precious seconds in the case of a large-scale event.
“This takes a second where the original system takes one to two minutes,” he said.
The buttons are also low maintenance, using battery only when pressed. Other similar systems require buttons to be charged, creating an additional risk of human error.
The Centegix system has an initial fee of $46,000 plus an annual fee of $87,000. For now, it will be paid using savings found within the existing transportation budget.
The Blue Ribbon Panel, which includes folks from local and state law enforcement, department of social services and other agencies, and the taskforce will continue to evaluate other safety options.
“We looked at traditional weapons detection and camera system overlays,” Sarver said. “We’ll continue to evaluate those.”
There are a few different technologies when it comes to weapons detection, he said, with various levels of detection requiring different staffing levels to manage it.
“Lots of areas we’ll have to continue to look at for feasibility,” Sarver said.
Supervisors authorized the Centegix contract 4-0. The District 4 school board seat remains vacant until January when the person elected this November will be sworn in.
