A 21st-Century Solution
For Aaron Vanatta, SRO at Quaker Valley School District, creating safer schools means utilizing technology to prepare for every type of emergency that has the potential to affect your district. He knew that NaviGate Prepared was the 21st-century solution that he needed in order to transfer bulky binders full of emergency response plans to a digital environment – allowing his district to be more organized and safe.
In addition to a digital library of information, utilizing technology as a part of your schools’ safety measures creates the potential to practice more effective drills. Aaron Vanatta notes that communication is a”critical pillar” in school safety making it vital to include everyone in communication during drills and emergencies. He states,”With NaviGate Prepared’s Respond app, everyone could communicate during an emergency. The faculty loved that they were now in the loop. Instantly, they felt empowered. They knew in a real emergency they’d have a resource in their pocket that could help save lives. Gone were the days of only a couple of people relaying information. NaviGate Prepared gave the power to everyone. Real-time collaboration across the district, as well as school response coordination, improved tremendously.”
Empowering Everyone Involved
The information provided through real-time communication empowers staff to be proactive in emergencies which goes a long way in keeping schools safe. Staff members are able to take matters into their own hands and communicate information about what is happening – allowing a staff member on the other side of the building to know exactly what is going on and act accordingly.
By utilizing real-time communication with Respond, Aaron states that Quaker Valley has”improved our communication and cut down on response times, which are two critical pieces of safety.” His staff has been able to build confidence in their ability to handle emergency situations and develop muscle memory that allows them to respond to any situation without thinking twice.
