According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, 267 people were wounded or killed on school property last year.

It can be time-consuming in a crisis to lockdown a school and call authorities. One school in Broome County has installed a system hoping to do it more efficiently. The Maine-Endwell Central School District has added buttons in its buildings that will lock down the whole building.

“This is a system that we have purchased that we hope to never use,” said Maine Memorial school resource officer Mike Senio.

Preparing for the worst-case scenario at school has evolved beyond fire alarms.

“Unfortunately, there's been a heck of a lot more school shootings than fires in schools. And so, to not look at this as not only the equivalent, but actually more important than fire alarms, that's where we are in today's society,” said Jason Van Fossen, the superintendent of the Maine-Endwell district.

What You Need To Know

  • Maine-Endwell Central School District has installed lockdown alarm buttons in its high school and middle school, with elementary schools soon to follow

  • The buttons will automatically alert school resource officers, close fire doors and alert authorities within seconds

  • The district is willing to help other schools implement a similar security plan

The district has added lockdown alarm buttons throughout its middle and high schools.

“The covering is there to protect from a bag being walked by and brushing against it or a ball or someone inadvertently, setting off the alarm, and then you press the button, and then that sends out the notification to, not only the school, but it also sends it out to 911, emergency fire rescue, police [and] law enforcement agencies,” said Van Fossen.

More than 20 buttons are scattered throughout two buildings, and can be activated by teachers, students or staff.

“Our camera systems flash and show exactly what area the lockdown is happening. All of our SROs are alerted immediately, and they can respond to the problem. We receive messages by way of radio, cell phone, app notifications [and] emails,” said Senio.

Fire doors in hallways will also be closed automatically throughout the building.

The district started creating a security plan in 2021 after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, adding resource officers like Senio, cameras and radios.

“And when we're not constantly checking windows and doors and looking out at the parking lots and scoping for any issues, we are talking and building very positive relationships with our students and trying to be mentors,” said Senio.

“If other school districts from across New York state or even across the country wanted to come and learn how to do this, we have an excellent model that could be replicated,” said Van Fossen.

So far, these have been installed in the high school and middle school, and next year, the district is planning on installing them in both elementary schools. And the school says like pulling a fire alarm, there are consequences if the button is used as a prank by anyone.