CANTON – Local school staff members will soon be outfitted with wearable, push button safety alarms thanks to $500,000 in state funding secured by Sen. Patty Ritchie.

Ritchie was joined by education officials and school district staff members in Canton Monday when she made the announcement.

The devices allow users to easily alert authorities in the case of an emergency, such as a medical situation, a fire or a student safety concern.

“One of the main goals of the Canton Central School District is to foster a welcoming and safe learning environment for our students and staff. There are a number of ways to accomplish that, and one of them is ensuring our students, staff and parents know that our school will be prepared to react immediately to an emergency. I want to thank Senator Ritchie for helping provide our community and our neighboring communities an important peace of mind,” Canton Central School District Superintendent Ronald Burke said.

The alarms, which can be activated by a teacher or staff member with the simple press of a button—immediately alert first responders, including police, firefighters and medical providers.

“Unfortunately, instances of threats and danger continue to plague schools across our country and Central and Northern New York has not been immune. The very last thing our parents, children, and school staff members should have to worry about during the school day is safety,” said Ritchie.

The funding will be awarded to St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES and Oswego CiTi BOCES and then distributed to school districts throughout the 48th Senate District. In all, more than 4,000 teachers and key staff members with be provided the wearable safety alarm.

"School safety is top of mind for all of us in public education and we appreciate the Senator's continued dedication to improve upon the existing safety measures in our school buildings,” said St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES District Superintendent Thomas Burns. “We agree that the best approach to school safety is a proactive one.”