Safer Watch Now Part of Seattle Schools' Security
A reader sent me a link (thanks!) from the Capitol Hill Seattle blog about SaferWatch, a safety platform for schools.
Seattle Public Schools says it is rolling out support for a new “federally funded” app and phone system with “tools for medical emergency reporting, anonymous tips, and schoolwide communication.”
The SaferWatch system has been put in place in several large school districts across the country but the Florida-based company is facing increased scrutiny after its CEO was arrested and charged in a bribery case involving the New York Police Department.
SPS’s rollout comes just weeks after the arrest.
While the bribery scandal threatens to overshadow the company’s technology, reviews are mixed about its efficacy. One clear takeaway: The system generates a lot of tips but it isn’t clear what, exactly, the district will do with the flow of information.
SaferWatch reports that its system is currently used in more than 2,000 schools and 5,000 locations nationwide.
The SaferWatch system has been put in place in several large school districts across the country but the Florida-based company is facing increased scrutiny after its CEO was arrested and charged in a bribery case involving the New York Police Department.
SPS’s rollout comes just weeks after the arrest.
While the bribery scandal threatens to overshadow the company’s technology, reviews are mixed about its efficacy. One clear takeaway: The system generates a lot of tips but it isn’t clear what, exactly, the district will do with the flow of information.
SaferWatch reports that its system is currently used in more than 2,000 schools and 5,000 locations nationwide.
And here's a line I don't like:
“SaferWatch tips are routed anonymously to trained professionals who assess and forward them to appropriate responders,” the district says. Those “trained professionals” are SaferWatch employees.
You mean like the "trained professionals" that students are directed to for mental health after they take an invasive survey about their lives? Or maybe it's "trained professionals" like the people who staff ICE? Pleas.
According to the district’s message to families, the use of the app will be supported by a new school safety tip line phone number — 206-222-HELP (4357). “This anonymous tip line can be contacted by phone or text and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the district’s message said.
According to SPS, SaferWatch’s “mobile panic alert systems” comply with Alyssa’s Law, “offering rapid, coordinated responses during on-campus emergencies. In the event of a police emergency, SaferWatch enables instant school lockdowns while simultaneously alerting law enforcement.”
“During medical incidents, SaferWatch notifies key campus personnel and automatically contacts emergency services—allowing staff to focus on the person in need,” the district says.
According to SPS, SaferWatch’s “mobile panic alert systems” comply with Alyssa’s Law, “offering rapid, coordinated responses during on-campus emergencies. In the event of a police emergency, SaferWatch enables instant school lockdowns while simultaneously alerting law enforcement.”
“During medical incidents, SaferWatch notifies key campus personnel and automatically contacts emergency services—allowing staff to focus on the person in need,” the district says.
More on SaferWatch via SPS:
Don't know why SPS doesn't explain it in their writing but Alyssa's Law is a Washington State law passed last year.
The platform comes to SPS through advocacy and collaboration with the Stand with Parkland movement, led by Tony Mantalto, whose daughter, Gina, was tragically among the 17 victims of the 2018 Parkland shooting. Reflecting on post-tragedy awareness, Mantalto emphasized that “students are often the first to know about a threat, typically through social media,” underscoring the urgent need for easy, real-time reporting tools like SaferWatch.
Another Parkland parent, April Schentrup—whose daughter Carmen was killed in the same incident—shared that she brought SaferWatch and the advocacy group to SPS attention following recent shootings at Seattle’s Ingraham and Garfield high schools. She noted that SaferWatch offers “a great compromise to having quick access to law enforcement but not having law enforcement within the schools directly.”
SaferWatch also provides mobile panic alert systems that comply with Alyssa’s Law, offering rapid, coordinated responses during on-campus emergencies. In the event of a police emergency, SaferWatch enables instant school lockdowns while simultaneously alerting law enforcement.
Another Parkland parent, April Schentrup—whose daughter Carmen was killed in the same incident—shared that she brought SaferWatch and the advocacy group to SPS attention following recent shootings at Seattle’s Ingraham and Garfield high schools. She noted that SaferWatch offers “a great compromise to having quick access to law enforcement but not having law enforcement within the schools directly.”
SaferWatch also provides mobile panic alert systems that comply with Alyssa’s Law, offering rapid, coordinated responses during on-campus emergencies. In the event of a police emergency, SaferWatch enables instant school lockdowns while simultaneously alerting law enforcement.
Don't know why SPS doesn't explain it in their writing but Alyssa's Law is a Washington State law passed last year.
Alyssa’s Law is legislation requiring public elementary and secondary schools to install silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement to speed up emergency response times. Named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, it aims to reduce law enforcement response times during active shooter or safety threats.
- Requirements: Schools must have a, usually, mobile or silent panic button system that directly notifies local law enforcement, bypassing the need for a 911 call.
-Impact on School Security: The law has caused a surge in demand for, and implementation of, advanced security solutions that facilitate quick communication between school staff and first responders.
In other news from the Capitol Hill Seattle post, there's this about the community where Garfield High sits:
In the Central District and on Capitol Hill, Shuldiner will be tasked with continuing efforts to address gun violence around 23rd Ave’s Garfield High School following a deadly shooting of a student there in 2024. 2026 at Garfield is bringing continued efforts including the ongoing “Reclaiming the Village” forums organizers say they hope will grow into an ongoing series of events to support Black families and students in the Central District.
Garfield Principal Tarance Hart launched the forums as the school has tried to address community needs, public safety, and gun violence following the deadly 2024 shooting of 17-year-old student Amarr Murphy-Paine in the school’s parking lot.
2026 is bringing further safety investments at Garfield. Hart announced classroom technology and school safety upgrades were underway through June including “expanded security camera coverage, new intercom and clock systems, emergency alert devices, and improved door monitoring and access controls.”
Garfield Principal Tarance Hart launched the forums as the school has tried to address community needs, public safety, and gun violence following the deadly 2024 shooting of 17-year-old student Amarr Murphy-Paine in the school’s parking lot.
2026 is bringing further safety investments at Garfield. Hart announced classroom technology and school safety upgrades were underway through June including “expanded security camera coverage, new intercom and clock systems, emergency alert devices, and improved door monitoring and access controls.”
I'll have to ask SPS about what Mayor Wilson said about pause on installation of cameras around Garfield High. I would assume that whatever SPS is doing with cameras is internal.
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