Emergency Procedures & Centegix Crisis Alerts

Our first priority is our students’ and staff members’ safety, We are proud of our continual efforts to build upon our safety measures.  In December 2022, the Galion City School District became the first district in Ohio to implement the Centegix Crisis Alert system.

This groundbreaking technology allows staff to instantly alert administrators and emergency services personnel during times of crisis—ensuring that help is available as quickly as possible.

Our staff has been thoroughly trained and can use the system appropriately if an emergency arises. This advanced technology helps ensure a rapid response from administrators and first responders. Consequently, this allows us to be more proactive in safeguarding our school premises during drills and real-life scenarios.

With the badge system, any staff member can activate a  Staff Alert or a Lockdown Alert

Through the mobile app, district and building administrators can initiate additional alerts. These alerts can be used for a variety of reasons including medical emergencies, weather emergencies, threatening situations or even students leaving the building without permission. 

Understanding the types of alerts used when responding to safety concerns is important.

Staff Alert:

A Staff Alert can be activated by anyone with a badge. Staff Alerts are most often used in medical emergencies, student fights, students leaving the building or playground without permission, or situations where a staff member feels threatened. This type of alert only notifies building responders and does not elicit a districtwide response. 

Lockdown Alert:

A lockdown alert is reserved for potentially life-threatening situations with possible widespread impact. When this occurs, several actions take place automatically for everyone's safety:

  • Staff immediately implements safety protocols

  • Local first responders are alerted

  • Strobes begin flashing and chirping 

  • PA announcements begin instructions 

  • Staff computer screens are taken over with instructions

  • School district responders are notified of the initiation and its location is viewable on the app

Shelter Within:

A shelter-within can be initiated through the mobile app when an incident occurs in the community nearby that could affect staff and students within the designated area. During this alert, classroom instruction continues uninterrupted; however, no one is permitted to enter or leave the building until the situation is resolved. 

Shelter in Place:

A shelter-in-place alert is used when a situation occurs close by or within a school building that has the potential to escalate or where medical personnel are needed. During this type of alert, classroom instruction continues, students and teachers remain in their current classrooms, and no one enters or exits the building until the situation is resolved. 

Evacuation:

An evacuation alert occurs when there is a viable safety threat. During this alert, 911 is called, strobe lights begin flashing and chirping, PA announcements begin instructions, computer screens and monitors are taken over with instructions, and responders are notified via the app. 

Drills:

The Centegix CrisisAlert system allows administrators to conduct Lockdown drills & Tornado drills to ensure all protocols are followed. These drills will be performed annually at the beginning of each school year and will be scheduled to provide a simulated event—allowing building administrators, district responders, staff, and students to practice their roles, inspect how they react accurately, and ensure the system is working correctly. Additional drills may be scheduled throughout the year.

Emergency Communication:

In the event of a necessary lockdown, the district will communicate with families through the all-call system and/or email with any information and instructions. After students and staff are safe, parents will receive additional updates and information following the lockdown. The district website will have the most recent and accurate information for parents.

Social media, in most instances, will not be used to communicate emergency information. 

Emergency Procedures

Response Planning

District representatives from several areas of campus are in regular communication with local law enforcement and Emergency Management Agency personnel to routinely evaluate our emergency response plans for various situations. As these agencies continue to learn more about best-practices in emergency preparation, we continue to revise our response procedures and train our staff accordingly through in-services, simulations, and safety drills.

To ensure our students’ safety and the security of the emergency response plan, details of the emergency plans are protected by law and are not publicly available.

Pick-up Procedures

In an emergency event situation, district officials, in conjunction with law enforcement, will determine when and where students can be reunited with families in a safe and orderly manner. This information will then be communicated to families through the district’s official communication channels. (District website, Text Message, Email and/or Phone Call)

It is critically important that parents do not come to the campus to pick-up your child until you have received communication from the school or law enforcement to do so. This ensures that routes remain clear for emergency personnel, buses and their drivers, and possible evacuation of students. The roads around the school can quickly become congested if families to rush to pick up their children.

Official Communications Channels

In the event of an emergency situation, the district will utilize one or more of the following communications channels, as available, to keep families apprised of updates and developments. Families are encouraged to connect with these services now for other relevant school updates, weather-related cancellations, as well as emergency communications.

We will make our best-possible effort to continue to receive incoming phone calls, while ensuring the safety of our staff. You can assist our office staff by first referring to the above communications channels for updates and keep our phone lines and staff available for emergency calls.