Crisis Go is an unnecessary use of resources

In an effort to promote safety in FCPS, Crisis Go, a security software company, was hired to provide security through technology. According to their service rate, every student covered in the plan costs $5. To account for the entire student population, the total adds up to $209,225. And that’s not including additional fees that further increase the price for FCPS. Although it was implemented to help make change, it is not the right solution to ensure safety in schools.

The Crisis Go app doesn’t provide enough helpful features to justify the amount spent on it. For example, there is a feature in the app that will call 911. What is the use of that, beyond saving the user five seconds at most. One of the other features is an alarm that sounds on any device with the app installed. It is helpful for alerting students and staff of an emergency but it does not stop until the emergency is finished. If there was a shooting incident at a school, this could tip anyone intruding in the building off to where someone is located. The app contains a group chat feature, which exists on many other apps. The app also tracks the people who download it on their personal devices, leaving teachers to be constantly monitored. It also has a class roster so teachers can check who is present. However, in a real emergency there may not be time to count a class roster, with a mass panic ensuing. Students would freeze up, run, or deny what would be happening. The app would also employ the use of chromebooks with scanners that tracks its users, regardless if the person has it on their phones or their computers. This can be a serious invasion of privacy for teachers and students.

The solution to this problem is that the deal made with Crisis Go should be evaluated for next year. The money from next year can be put into something more useful, such as educating teachers in what to do in an emergency. Students, especially high-schoolers who are nearing adulthood, should be trained on what to do in these types of situations so that when they graduate, they have skills that will help them in the future. Educating the students further would cost little money and would be extremely beneficial, both in high school and in their later life.

Although it is of merit to help protect their students, FCPS should not spend the money on something that doesn’t aid students or teachers. The alternative to spending this money is training teachers, administrators and students in what to do in an emergency. Frequent practice of this should protect all the faculty and students, not Crisis Go.