Hellgate Elementary School District in Missoula, Montana is the first district in the country with a new smartphone app that alerts teachers of a lockdown. Hellgate Elementary Superintendent Doug Reisig said the purpose of the app is to decrease educator overload, provide expeditious responses with ease, and protect the children. The app comes as hostage situations increase across the country but educators lack law enforcement skills. Police say the app is better than a standard alarm because it gives an immediate description of what the perpetrator looks like, where he is, and where he’s headed. The app works by sending phone notifications within seconds to teachers and staff members. The program can reduce alert times from several minutes down to as low as several seconds. The Missoula school district is calling its drills with the new app a success, but hopefully they won’t need the app for a real-life circumstance.
