Seconds matter when an active shooter is on campus.
Now, teachers in Port Aransas have been given access to a cell phone app that will immediately call police if a gunman is on campus.
It’s called School Guard.
Now, Port Aransas ISD teachers and Port Aransas police have it.
Teachers just press that red button on their cell phone.
Once they do that, the app sends an alert to police that sounds like a siren.
Officers will then receive a map of where the alert is coming from and head in that direction.
The app also calls 911 for the teachers and sends an alert to all school administrators.
“In the event of an emergency, time is always a huge factor and as fast as 911 is, even dialing the 911 system, you’re looking at 30 seconds to a minute before the first officers are en route,” Port Aransas Police Chief Scott Burroughs said. “This app allows the officers to be en route the second the teacher hits that button.”
The Port Aransas Police Foundation purchased the app for $1,000. It will pay $99 per month for the rest of the school year.
The school district will begin paying for the app next school year.
