Habersham’s School System is a step closer to making campuses safer across the county.
Centegix, a wearable remote alert system for school staff, has seen successful test runs throughout the month, according to officials.
As part of the system, in the event of a medical or security emergency, a badge carried by all faculty members could notify authorities, identify the location of a potential threat and lockdown a school campus within seconds under Centegix.
“Chief (Murray) Kogod and the team began testing those systems at the school with our first responders this week,” incoming superintendent Patrick Franklin said Thursday. “We’re working through that, and when that is complete and everything is up and running and been tested, then we will move to the training piece. That will be in the next few weeks.”
Around $189,800 will be allocated from Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds to install Centegix across all campuses countywide.
The move to enhance school security was approved in October by Habersham County’s Board of Education.
Annual fees for maintenance, wireless backup and updates for all Habersham schools would be just over $106,000.
Franklin said in October that the need for Centegix already had been identified and planned for 2025, before a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School had occurred.
“The Habersham County School System met with Centegix in early August – before the tragedy in Apalachee – regarding information gathering and pricing for implementation of the safety platform in all Habersham County schools,” Franklin said. “We are always looking for additional programs that can enhance current measures in place related to school safety.”
The system, credited with saving lives during the Sept. 4 tragedy at Apalachee, was also approved by White County’s School System last year.
