COVINA, CA – Ahead of the 2023-24 school year, Covina-Valley Unified School District has taken significant steps in prioritizing student safety, equipping every campus with an unprecedented level of security, following the District launch of the innovative CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System.

The Covina-Valley Unified Board of Education unanimously approved a multi-year use of the incident response technology to help ensure the safety of its schools, students, and staff at its March 13 meeting. C-VUSD is an early adopter of the CENTEGIX in the state of California, as the District joins more than 11,500 schools that utilize the comprehensive safety solution.

“Student safety is always our first priority at Covina-Valley Unified and each year, our schools and District work diligently to refine our safety plans, practice drills, and implement best practices,” Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Eminhizer said. “CENTEGIX provides us with an incredibly innovative way to respond to any emergency across the District.”

CENTEGIX CrisisAlert is the industry leader in wearable incident response technology for K-12 education. The system does not require a Wi-Fi or mobile cellular connection, and was awarded a Platinum 2023 Secure Campus Award from Campus Security and Life Safety for its integrated safety platform in June.

All C-VUSD staff, including teachers, counselors, food service and transportation teams, will be outfitted with a wearable badge designed to allow them to quickly and appropriately respond to any situation. The system has multiple alert-levels that enables users to differentiate between different types of emergencies.

Staff can immediately notify school administration and/or 911 in the event of an emergency through a few presses of the wearable panic button. For campus-wide alerts, the system activates flashing strobes, intercom messages at the school site, and saves time by providing precise room-level location of the alert to first responders.

“The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System enhances our ongoing commitment to create safe and nurturing learning environments for the Covina-Valley community,” C-VUSD Board President Maria Caceres said. “We are proud early adopters of this technology in the state of California, and hope it gives our students, staff, and families peace of mind that help is just the few presses of a button away.”

Media who are interested in an on-site demonstration of a CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System drill can contact Katie Emerson at (909) 324-0345 or katharine.emerson@vmapr.com.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

CVUSD_CENTEGIX1: Covina-Valley Unified School District will unveil the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System for the 2023-24 school year. District staff, like the school nurse Courtney Livingston will be outfitted with a wearable badge designed to allow them to quickly and appropriately respond to any emergency on their campus.

CVUSD_CENTEGIX2: Covina High Assistant Principal Yemina Arellanes participates in a CENTEGIX CrisisAlert drill in preparation for Covina-Valley Unified’s rollout of the incident response technology this upcoming school year. C-VUSD is one of the early adopters of the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert System in the state of California. More than 11,500 schools across nearly all 50 states utilize the comprehensive safety solution.