Panic Buttons on the Rise: Is instant alert tech necessary to help keep students safe at school?
(InvestigateTV) — Every morning, parents send their kids to school and expect them to come home safe.
Yet for many families in this country, the threat of a school shooting is a very real fear.
According to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, there were more than 200 incidents of gunfire on U.S. school grounds in 2024, resulting in more than 50 deaths and many more injuries.
That’s why school security protocols in this country are constantly evolving.
Our investigators took an in-depth look at an approach that’s gained a lot of attention in just the last year.
Panic buttons are designed to give teachers a way to instantly alert authorities of a threat.
The goal is to reduce response times in situations where every second counts.
It’s already been credited with saving lives during a school shooting in Georgia.
Reporter Heather Graf spoke with advocates for the technology from the nonprofit Make Our Schools Safe and school security experts who believe more than just panic buttons are needed for safer schools.
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