All eyes are on Apalachee High School in Georgia as it recovers from last week's shooting. Many people are now analyzing the emergency response to last week's shooting.
At the heart of it: A panic button.
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"The teachers each have an ID with their picture on it, and they have a button on that ID, and they press it so many times, and it alerts us where that incident is occurring," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.
We found at least eight school systems in our area have some "panic-button" technology, though every district's technology differs slightly.
The Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office's Communications Director, Michael Catagnus, helped roll out Edgecombe County Schools' use of the RAVE App, which has a virtual panic button.
"Right now, it's working for us," Catagnus said.
Catagnus tells us every Edgecombe County Public School teacher has the app on their phone. The app has options to instantly alert law enforcement to a crisis, letting them know exactly where that emergency is happening.
"Everyone has a cell phone on them. No matter where they go on campus, they can activate this app," he said.
Edgecombe County Sheriff's Deputies said the app is faster than calling 911.
With just one click of a button, the app alerts school officials and law enforcement to the crisis in seconds. Wake County Public Schools is working to equip every teacher in all 200 schools with the RAVE App this fall.
A spokesperson says every school already has a hardwired panic button monitored at all times.
Capt. Cofield, SRO Captain with Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, said the district has considered a physical button.
"They always have new stuff coming out. Down the road, we may do that. But right now, this is what's working for us," he said.
Edgecombe County Sheriff's Deputies tell us the system has not yet been used in an emergency but has been tested during an active shooter drill.