Safety is a Priority for School Districts
At Guard911 we have worked for years to provide our customers with the best safety app to reduce law enforcement notification time and thereby reduce response time. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Brian Hunt, the Director of Safety and Well-Being in Godley, Texas has chosen the SchoolGuard active shooter app to protect students and staff at seven school campuses in Godley ISD.
As an educator for over twenty years, Brian has always been interested in the safety and health of students and faculty. He has worked as Director of Safety and Well-Being for two Texas school districts and has been in this role in Godley since 2022. He is responsible for the safety of about 3200 students and over 500 employees at seven campuses throughout the school district.
His responsibilities include weather closures, safety layouts for classrooms, safety drills, emergency operations and plans, oversight of the safety and security committee, and oversight of the student health advisory committee.
Of course, this includes readiness for a life threatening emergency in any school. Since 2022, he has supported his district using the SchoolGuard app from Guard911.
Why Did Brian Choose Guard911 and Schoolguard?
Brian knew that Godley ISD needed to have a silent panic button alert app in the hands of every employee on school campuses. While they could probably use an app on school computers, faculty and staff are often away from their desks and computers as they work with students and around campuses. What was the best solution?
Brian says he thought, “No one ever walks away without their cell phone. People will turn around and drive back to get their cell phone if they have forgotten it somewhere. Let’s put the app right on their cell phones.”
So Brian found Guard911 and the SchoolGuard app. When he began to talk to the Godley Chief of Police about options, the chief especially liked that SchoolGuard automatically connects users with the Hero911 Network of nearly 70,000 law enforcement officers who receive the message about school emergencies immediately on their phones as well. When the app is activated, it immediately notifies both ON and OFF duty federal, state, and local law enforcement officers within close proximity to the emergency. No other app on the market has this network of law enforcement officers. Brian felt this was the best solution for Godley.
Regular Testing of Panic Button App Shows Effectiveness
Fortunately, the schools in Godley ISD have never had a life threatening emergency, but if they do, they are prepared. Brian and the local law enforcement community have been very satisfied with results and experience gained during regular tests of the app and their emergency response plans. When Brian initiates a test of the SchoolGuard app every semester, he works carefully with professionals at Guard911 to ensure that the test goes smoothly and local law enforcement who are notified will know that the test is underway.
Brian loves seeing how effectively the app works and how it notifies law enforcement in the Hero911 Network.
“We have seen that during our tests, law enforcement officers from 30 or 40 miles away have been contacted. The app is very effective.”
Brian has also trained his staff that when they get the notification on their SchoolGuard app they also launch a PA announcement immediately for the whole school. Regular testing also helps him track if any faculty or staff have problems with updating the app or keeping it live. He is able to work with them after tests to make sure they know how to use the app and everything is working effectively.
Non-Emergency Uses for the SchoolGuard app with Teacher Assist
At Godley ISD, faculty and staff have also made use of other features in the app to keep students and faculty safe. Teachers are able to use the TeacherAssist function in the app to call for help in situations that are not life-threatening.
Recently in Godley a teacher needed to chase a small student with special needs who was in danger as he left the building. The teacher knew she needed extra staff assistance, so she used the TeacherAssist function in the SchoolGuard app to call for help. Brian was surprised and delighted with the results.
“Using the app, staff on campus were able to pinpoint the teacher on campus within 15-20 seconds and we were able to come and help her immediately, even though she was no longer in the school building.”
The entire school community was grateful for the TeacherAssist function that day.
Connect Immediately to Local Law Enforcement
The SchoolGuard app and Hero911 app work together in Godley to immediately notify law enforcement if there is a life-threatening emergency in any school. Brian has worked with his own local law enforcement as well as in conjunction with Guard911 to ensure that local law enforcement are members of the Hero911 Network and keep the app active on their phones.
Even if law enforcement officers are off duty, they will receive a notification on their phones if they are near the school where the emergency is taking place. As a result, faculty, staff, and law enforcement officers are working as a team in Godley, Texas to ensure minimal notification time and speedy response if there is ever a life-threatening emergency in schools.
Brian is glad to have Guard911 and SchoolGuard as partners in keeping Godley safe.
Would you like SchoolGuard in your district? Contact us so we can partner to protect your schools. Together we can save lives!
