MNPS expands microphone security technology to include all district middle schools
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – It’s security at the press of a button.
A company has been repurposing a common classroom item to give teachers a direct connection to alerting law enforcement. The technology is already in every Nashville public high school, and now the district wants to put the tool in middle schools as well.
If there is one thing about math, it’s that the numbers never change. However, the CEO of Audio Enhancement likes to say his company has figured out a way to “tweak” the calculations.
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“To me, it’s like one plus one equals three,” Jeff Anderson said when describing the company’s formula in addressing how the technology can be used. “It does two things at once with one piece of equipment. It’s built for academics, with safety as a bonus.”
The company serves 1.3 million classrooms across the country, including Nashville.
During the latest Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) board meeting, the district approved the expansion of the Signal Alert for Education (SAFE) system. The technology utilizes microphones that are already in classrooms that teachers use to amplify their voices so students can hear them, but it also comes with an important safety feature.
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“The safety is built into the microphone, so any time that the teacher is in distress and they need to have someone come into the room and help them as a first responder, there [are] two buttons, one on each side. They can push the buttons on the microphone and they have to hold it for three seconds,” Anderson explained.
The notification goes from the microphone to the receiver in the classroom, and then the alert is sent out to alert the front office.
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“It notifies the office where the teacher is, what room needs help, and they can send first responders in there to help the teacher with a situation,” he said.
News 2 reached out to MNPS about the expansion of the technology. We received the following statement from the district:
The installation of Audio Enhancement systems throughout our district has been an ongoing project at MNPS for a couple years. The primary feature of this system is that it creates better educational equity and access to students by amplifying a teacher’s voice throughout the room so all students, particularly those who may have auditory challenges, are able to hear and participate no matter their position to the teacher. An additional important feature of the system allows a teacher to press a button and alert school administrators quickly and easily if there are issues or problems in the classroom that require support. The recently approved contract allows us to expand this project to more schools and our goal to expand this to all schools throughout the district, subject to the availability of funds, as part of our priorities of enhancing safety and providing a more equitable learning environment.
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“I can push a button, it’s already on my body and I can push a button and I can get help right away. Within seconds, I can have somebody come in and help me, because teachers don’t know when something’s going to happen. It could be medical, it could be two students, it could be an outside source,” Anderson explained.
News 2 also reached out to the Tennessee Education Association to see how educators are responding to the increased security technology. In a statement, we were told the following:
Feeling safe at school is vital to student learning. TEA is committed to supporting innovative ways of ensuring our schools are sanctuaries of learning where students feel secure, supported and valued. School safety is a shared responsibility. TEA works closely with education stakeholders to ensure every public school in Tennessee is safe. Students and educators deserve to learn and work in an environment that inspires academic, social and emotional growth. TEA will continue to advocate for educators to have a voice in what school safety looks like and how it is accomplished in the best interests of students.
Tanya T. Coats, Knox County educator and Tennessee Education Association President
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