New York City (NYC) Public Schools will pilot technology that directly integrates schools with 911 services for rapid response in the event of an active shooter situation, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser announced on Oct. 27.
The NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) created the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and debuted it at the Spring Creek campus in Brooklyn. The system will roll out to 25 school buildings, representing 51 public schools, during the 2025-2026 school year.
“For the first time ever in our nation, a public school system will have direct integration with 911 services to ensure that help is on the way within seconds if there is ever an active shooter or weapon-based threat,” Mayor Adams said in a press release. “Every parent deserves to know their child is safe in school, and this system gives them that peace of mind.”
“This new Emergency Alert System will protect our students, teachers, and staff, making sure New York City Public Schools have the most secure line of defense possible to keep our schools safe,” he added.
Each school participating in the pilot will have multiple fixed buttons and wireless lanyards that staff members can wear to activate the emergency system during a lockdown – eliminating the need for anyone to pick up a phone to call 911. The system is capable of initiating a 911 response in under 10 seconds.
Additionally, the schools will have audible and visual indicators to alert students and faculty that 911 has been notified, and the school is on a hard lockdown. Electronic notifications will also be sent to NYPD School Safety and NYC Public Schools officials.
“This brand-new Emergency Alert System, the nation’s first to directly integrate schools with 911 in a hard lockdown event, marks a crucial advance in our city’s broader school safety efforts and provides additional peace of mind — a priceless commodity — for the parents and families of students,” Fraser said. “I commend OTI’s Public Safety and Emergency Management team, in partnership with New York City Public Schools and NYPD, for their work on this groundbreaking project.”
