A North Texas school district is breaking new ground when it comes to active shooter safety.
Starting Thursday, a new technology called Go-to-Green launches inside all campuses in the Pilot Point Independent School District.
The Pilot Point ISD is the first school district in the country to use new technology aimed at protecting students and staff if that horrible scenario were to happen.
“As an educator in today's world, you go there in your mind. You think, 'What if? What am I going to do if that becomes reality, if that becomes my reality and I have a classroom full of other people's babies in here, what do I do?'” asked Pilot Point Middle School writing teacher Andie Clark.
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The answer could now come by looking up.
“I no longer have to think about it. I can just go,” said Clark.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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Pilot Point ISD Police Chief Brad Merritt explained how gunfire activates acoustic sensors installed in ceilings that light up and direct people away from an attacker or tell them to stay put in classrooms.
When a shooting happens, sensors turn red or green. Red means you don’t want to go in that direction because the shooter has been detected. Green indicates a pathway to safety.
Red and blue strobe lights direct first responders to the shooter’s location, detected by cameras throughout campus then streamed to track their movement.
“If somebody has evil in their heart so bad that they want to come into a school and do this, they're going to find a way to do it,” said Merritt. “That's where this system comes into play because it immediately alerts us of what's going on.”
Between the new technology and arming some teachers, Merritt said the district is taking every precaution possible to mitigate an active shooter situation.
They’re precautions providing peace of mind for teachers like Clark, and training she hopes she’ll never need.
“It’s something that's amazing to have. I'm thankful for the technology, but I hope to God I never have to see it in action,” said Clark.
The system can also work to evacuate people in emergency situations like fires or severe weather.
