Berks County schools receive state grant for emergency preparedness App

Schwank: ‘Funding will assist schools with their emergency preparedness efforts and their continued work in ensuring student and staff safety.’

Efforts continue in Berks County to promote school safety and emergency preparedness. School leaders and staff members across the county are committed to supporting our 70,000 students and addressing concerns about safety in schools. In order to best serve students, collaboration, communication, and coordination between stakeholders is imperative as we navigate ahead with safe schools efforts.

Senator Judy Schwank is one of those key stakeholders, which led to her advocacy for Berks County schools to receive a $100,000 grant for the implementation of CrisisGo, an emergency preparedness App. The mission of CrisisGo is to provide a global-safety platform for schools so they can access up-to-date information to properly respond to various incidents. The App also provides a two-way multimedia communication platform that allows internal communications with various groups set up by the district.

Senator Schwank said, “The state grant funding will assist schools with their emergency preparedness efforts and their continued work in ensuring student and staff safety. With the implementation of the CrisisGo App across Berks County, we are enhancing communication in the event of an emergency,” Schwank said. “I am grateful that the Wolf administration and the DHS agreed that this is an effort that merits state support.”

CrisisGo Co-Founder Bill Reynolds stated, “Our platform brings a district’s safety and communications plan together and empowers everyone with the tools and information to keep everyone safe in an emergency. Over the last five years, over 15,000 schools have partnered with CrisisGo. We are excited to be working with the Berks County Intermediate Unit as they help their member districts prepare for the upcoming school year.”

CrisisGo features include emergency checklists to guide staff through proper response steps; mass or isolated area two-way communication tools; • Help alerts with the push of a button; Quick, answerable prompts to identify staff at risk and those who have reached safety; student rosters and parent information to assist with reunification; floor plans and evacuation maps; tools to connect school entities with first responders; and training and safety simulations for drills.

The timeline for implementation is August and September 2018 Coordinate Specifics with Schools, August and September 2018 Communicate with First Responders, fall and winter 2018 County-Wide Rollout, fall 2019 Refine & Expand Use, winter 2020 Evaluation.

Dr. Jill Hackman, Executive Director of the Berks County Intermediate Unit, said, “On behalf of Berks County schools and the Berks County Intermediate Unit, I would like to thank Senator Schwank for her continued collaboration and advocacy for Berks County schools. Her advocacy was critical to help us secure the necessary funding to assist us in our emergency preparedness efforts. CrisisGo will provide schools with the tools they need to respond to emergencies and will greatly enhance our work to keep our children safe.”

The Berks County Intermediate Unit and Berks County schools are committed to ensuring that safety remains a top priority. School administrators will continue to provide leadership in reassuring students, staff, and parents; informing them that safety measures and supports are in place in their schools. Our priorities are focused on maintaining an environment that allows students to be educated free from hazards that inhibit them from enriching their mind.