Montgomery Co. schools to roll out panic button in wake of deadly Uvalde shooting

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Big changes are coming to all school districts in Montgomery County, where they will soon have a Rave Panic Button in an effort to help keep students safe during emergencies, according to ABC13's partners at the Houston Chronicle.

The button is used to summon officials with police, medical or fire with just a touch of a button on their cell phones.

The school districts that plan to implement the tool include Conroe, Magnolia, New Caney, Montgomery and Splendora.

According to the Chronicle, the $170,000 cost for three years is funded in part by Montgomery County Emergency Communications District.

Districts in 46 states are already using the technology. including in Texas. In Willis, for example, the district's superintendent told the Chronicle that the app has been used there since 2018.

This comes in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde last May, where 19 students and two teachers were killed.

In December, Texas senators released an 88-page report that recommended better mental health care access.

It also said that school districts should be required to share their emergency operations plans with local law enforcement.