KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Georgia authorities credit Centegix with saving lives at Apalachee High School on Wednesday. Clinton School District has used Centegix since 2019. East Tennessee administrators say security will always be a priority.
LeighAnn Bonesteel is entering her ninth year as the principal of South Clinton Elementary School and her 21st working in Clinton's school district. Bonesteel said her job involves many things, but above all, it's about creating a home away from home.
"My favorite part of the day is being outside greeting kids in the morning on the sidewalk. It's important to me to learn every kid's name," she said.
She said the Centegix security system helps her do that. Her school installed the system about five years ago. Every staff member wears a button alarm necklace that, when used, sets off alarms in the school and alerts the Clinton Police Department of an emergency.
Bonesteel said Centegix was one of many security procedures she's seen implemented over her career. Incremental steps have been taken as the school shootings have become a reality. Instead of feeling burdened by it, she said she views it as liberating for teachers.
"It gives all staff members a sense of, 'I have a little bit of control over what happens if there's something off in our building,'" she said.
Anyone wearing an alarm can be located on an app, showing a map of the school. The school's doors are also locked. A camera doorbell lets school staff vet anyone who enters the school.
Those components combine to make the school a "hard target," said Brandon Floyd, a Clinton Police Department lieutenant.
"A 'soft target' would be your things like a grocery store or shopping center," Floyd said. "We want there to be access points where people have to talk to somebody before they come in a building."
He said the police department and the school district work closely to refine safety procedures. Communication is constant and officers are assigned to Clinton's schools as Resource Security Officers.
He said tweaks can always be made, but he's overall confident in their plans.
School security isn't cheap. Companies specializing in it have boomed over the past decade. Approaches to security also differ and so do resources.
"Budgets are always difficult, no matter what," said Rebecca Stone, the Director of the Alcoa School District.
An educator with 32 years of experience, Stone said she has also seen the incremental progression towards tighter security in schools. Also, like Bonesteel, she doesn't linger on the past but considers the security needs in the present.
"At the end of the day, it's about keeping our staff and students safe, and if it gets a little uncomfortable, then I'm willing to take that to keep our people safe," she said.
Stone didn't want to reveal the entirety of her district's plans. She said that her district regularly reviews its procedures and has even received advice from a Department of Homeland Security agent.