Centegix, a wearable remote alert system, is now weeks away from being installed systemwide across Habersham County’s 14 school campuses, according to officials.
“I am happy to report that the Habersham County Centegix workgroup has been successful in staying ahead of schedule with our efforts to install the necessary hardware and software infrastructure needed to bring the system online,” Habersham County Director of School Safety Murray Kogod said in an email.
He added: “… Once configuration is completed and the system has been thoroughly tested, we will move into the training phase for all Habersham School personnel and first responders. We have every intention of bringing the system completely online by mid spring.”
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The move to enhance school security was approved in October by Habersham County’s Board of Education.
Around $189,800 will be allocated from Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds to install Centegix across all campuses. The remote emergency alert system is a privately-managed network capable of tightening security in realtime.
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.
Annual fees for maintenance, wireless backup and updates for all Habersham schools would be just over $106,000.
In October, Habersham Board of Education Chairman Doug Westmoreland said the decision to implement the new system was well in the making before the Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School left four dead and nine injured.
“We were already looking into this well before the Apalachee incident,” Westmoreland said. “We were actually talking about this earlier at the beginning of the school year. I think it’s something that’s really going to empower teachers for the safety of our students. We want to get this in their hands as soon as possible. As a board, we are very, very aware of safety and we want to make that one of our top priorities.”
Assistant Superintendent Patrick Franklin also said in October that the need for the Centegix system already had been identified and planned for 2025.
“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 earlier this month.
The White County School System is now in the process of installing the Centegix system in its schools.
Other school systems that use Centegix include Stephens County, Hart County, Jackson County, Jefferson City Schools, and Franklin County.
