ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Albany County Sheriff's Office is trying to make schools safer for when kids return to class from summer break.

When students fill the halls in just a few weeks, a new radio and cell phone app will be available to students and staff, should they ever need to use it.

Wednesday morning, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office unveiled the products that will be installed within all three districts.

Officials say they began looking into ways to strengthen safety after the Parkland shooting in Florida.

The initiatives were developed after the sheriff met with schools, including Ravena, Coeymans and Selkirk, about how they could improve safety measures.

There will be a countywide radio system that will connect fire, police, EMS and the districts in real time.

It’s equipped with 19 large orange emergency buttons to be placed in within the schools and 20 portable radios that will allow teachers, school officials, coaches and even bus drivers to have direct contact with 911.

A version of the county sheriff’s app is also available now and has a “see something, say something” feature where teachers, students and parents can provide information. The in-app button will dial 911 immediately or allow the user to send information or photos through text message to sheriff office investigators.

"There's been so many meetings, so many forums and I felt like, listen, the school year is rapidly approaching, we need to get something in place to let our kids come to school on the first day and feel safe and feel secure about coming to school and to learn,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.

The entire app and radio system costs more than $300,000, but it’s paid in full from seized drug and gambling money.