As safety technology becomes more common in schools, a new emergency button system designed to improve response times and communication during critical situations was implemented on campus. The handheld device, now used by all teachers, provides two emergency levels that connect staff directly with administrators or authorities.
Assistant principal Gary Brain explained that the system was introduced as part of a district-wide safety initiative.
“It’s a system that we can use in an emergency that will notify administration and/or the authorities fairly instantly,” Brain said.
He added that the button includes two functions: one for personal or localized emergencies such as classroom fights, student issues, or medical concerns and another for more serious threats, including a weapon on campus.
“It’ll work on our whole campus, all the way out to the baseball field,” Brain said. “It’ll work on any Humble ISD property, even Turner Stadium.”
Teachers had mixed initial reactions but generally see its value. History teacher Jennifer Danielson said her first concern was accidentally triggering the device.
“My first impression was, I am going to hit this button on accident,” she said.
Danielson also worried about losing it after learning that the buttons are “mini computers” that cannot be left in hot or cold cars.
Despite her early worries, Danielson said she has had no issues with the system. She hasn’t accidentally pressed it or lost it.
While Danielson has never needed to use the button, she explained that she understands the value of having it because of past experiences in her classroom.
As the system rolls out across Humble ISD, staff members hope the technology will help ensure faster, safer responses when emergencies occur.
“I have had, many years in the past, fights in my classroom,” she said. “So I think the most helpful thing would be to have it for the local emergencies like a fight in the classroom or a student who is having a medical alert. That way somebody can come to me as opposed to me trying to send a student to go get somebody.”
