WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District installed a new technology that allows teachers to press a button on their lanyards in case there’s an emergency.
Teachers can press it three times for help, and eight if there’s an active emergency.
The device uses Bluetooth, not wifi or cell phone signals, and it pinpoints exactly where the help is needed.
Stephanie Jaskolski has been a sixth-grade teacher long enough to know that anything can happen in a classroom. But this is the first year she’s wearing the device on her lanyard.
“I think the best part is I don’t have to leave the situation and look for a phone to call down to the office,” she said.
The badge is made by Centegix.
Using Bluetooth technology with transmitters and receivers installed throughout the building, a select group receives a notification with the exact location where help is needed.
Eight presses of the button is all it takes for a lockdown.
Inside, there are strobe lights, PA announcements, and all computer monitors will show a lockdown message. Outside, an alert is sent to first responders.
The school installed the technology in October 2025 and has already used it for a medical emergency.
It was funded through the school safety grant, which costs $65,000 to $70,000 per year for eight schools with about 5,500 students in total.