New SmartBadges Enhance School Safety Environment

MASON, Ohio, September 4, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Faculty, administrators and staff are all too aware of the dangerous and sometimes deadly events that have beset the nation’s schools. Most safety incidents at schools involve low-threat level events, such as a stranger lurking near school grounds, unidentified visitors walking through the halls or fights breaking out among students. In the most terrifying and tragic of scenarios, armed or active shooters have entered schools with malicious intent and plans to take lives of students and teachers.  

Saint Susanna School in Mason, Ohio, is among the thousands of schools in which staff, faculty and students have received training on how to identify, respond to, and intercept various forms of danger. According to Saint Susanna School Principal Daniel Albrinck, the training includes “run/hide/lockdown/fight” protocols for responding to an active-shooter scenario.

During the past school year, Saint Susanna School has also served as a testing site for new technology that offers extra levels of security and safety. Wearing a lightweight, interactive SmartBadge from Cincinnati-based Palarum, a teacher or staff member — with the push of a button on the badge — can instantly notify the closest staff of a problem in progress.

This past year, Saint Susanna staff used the SmartBadge in several real-life safety-related situations. All were categorized as lower levels of emergency, and none involved violence or deadly harm. 

“The SmartBadge was very effective for us,” said Principal Albrinck. “While intercepting problems from escalating, teachers and staff reported that the SmartBadge system gave them a strong sense of empowerment and safety management. They could respond immediately to a situation by pressing the badge button, issuing the alert, and receiving immediate help from nearby staff. It’s especially helpful in a school like ours, which has no onsite safety resource or security guard.”

During the trial period, Saint Susanna School used a three-tier system with the SmartBadge, which enables users to alert others as to the severity and location of the problem. A low-threat Tier 1 issue — identified with one push of the SmartBadge button — notifies the nearest three staff members that assistance is needed. A Tier 2 event, indicated by two pushes of the button, may represent a more serious issue or, as Principal Albrinck says, a teacher sensing that “something doesn’t seem quite right or that a bigger trouble may be brewing.” 

A highest threat level at Saint Susanna, categorized as a Tier 3 event, is announced by three button pushes on the SmartBadge. “It notifies everybody wearing the badges that an event of maximum danger is underway, such as an active shooter on school grounds,” says Principal Albrinck.

Palarum president and co-founder Patrick Baker says the SmartBadge trial at Saint Susanna School proved its value in enhancing school safety and security. “We’ve learned much from the St. Susanna experience. We’re certainly encouraged enough to continue developing SmartBadge for broader use throughout the educational community.”

Supporting Palarum on this school safety collaboration include: RDI, a leading customer contact support provider based in Cincinnati, Ohio; T&M DataCom Service, specialists in low-voltage cabling, electrical, information technology, based in Cincinnati; and, Electronic Precepts, an Original Design and Manufacturer (ODM) service provider headquartered in Seminole, Florida.

About Saint Susanna School

Founded in 1948 by the Sisters of Notre Dame, Saint Susanna is a Catholic school in Mason, Ohio, and is an extension of the Saint Susanna Parish. The school strives to embody the core values and academic guidelines as set forth by its parish community and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The school currently teaches over 614 students in 27 grade-level classrooms. It has earned the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and features a 100% graduation rate, with over 90% of graduates continuing on to Catholic high schools. In partnership with parish and families, Saint Susanna School is committed to building lives in the image of Christ through prayer, worship, service and academics.

About Palarum 

Founded in 2014 by Patrick Baker, Palarum has developed several innovative technologies, including wearable technology designed to improve monitoring and care of fall-risk patients in acute care, long-term care and rehabilitation facilities.   

Source: Palarum, LLC