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NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio – From the Columbine shooting to the Newtown massacre, these tragedies have shaped the way we look at school safety.
It’s a topic that’s on the minds of many educators.
“In all the emergency situations you’ve seen around the country, time is of the essence,” said Edward Vittardi.
He’s the principal at St. Albert the Great Elementary School in North Royalton.
His staff was recently armed with a new device called the Tattletale Panic Button. All of them were paid for using grant money.
“As soon as they press the button, the police department gets notification of where the emergency button was pressed and they then can get to the school as quickly as possible,” Vittardi said.
The device is only meant for major emergencies, like if there’s an intruder. That’s a scenario Kelly Beskid hopes to never experience. She’s a teacher at St. Albert.
“I started teaching 15 years ago, and I never thought that being a teacher would have to be saving some kid’s life,” she said.
It’s difficult to set off the device accidentally — that’s because both buttons need to be pressed in order for police to come.
They’re not the only ones notified, so is the principal and on site security.
Beskid said knowing that, brings a sense of relief.
“It’s much faster than using a cellphone and entering a pass code and everything. Plus, we have it on our bodies and it`s right there for us if we were any kind of trouble like that,” she said.
St. Albert is the first school in the area to try out this device.
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