Green Bay West High School is seen March 14, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An intruder alarm at Green Bay West High School was the result of a staff member’s error, the school district said Thursday.
“A staff member was using the Centegix badge to call administration to assist with a student altercation, but the button was pressed too many times, setting off the intruder alert,” West principal Dexter McNabb wrote in a message.
Centegix is the company that manufactures the security system. The district spent $1.8 million to install it in the school buildings before the school year.
One parent says a flashing purple light and a loud buzzer were set off, causing her daughter and other students to flee the building.
“We recognize that students may have found the intruder alert to be unsettling and may wish to speak with someone,” wrote McNabb. “If your student requires assistance, please reach out to their school counselor or social worker.”
The district sent this statement:
While District staff have been trained on the Centegix system, it is important to recognize that during a very stressful situation a staff member uses their Centegix badge to get assistance from other staff and might accidently press the button on the badge too many times, causing the Lockdown Intruder Alert. No one feels worse about this than the staff member who activated the alert.
We know that false alarms can be upsetting for everyone, which is why we communicate to students, staff and families to make them aware of what occurred. We also encourage staff/students to reach out to EAP/Student Services if they need to talk to someone.
As a District we need to be able to get emergency notifications to our students and staff as quickly as possible so they can make the best choices possible for their safety in a crisis situation. The Centegix system allows us to make everyone aware of emergency situations that occur in our schools within seconds versus minutes, which could be the difference in saving lives. The school and District continually review what happens in our schools and work with our staff to make improvements, if needed.
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