Alabama School District Implements Emergency Alert as Part of VoIP Rollout

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/08/08
##AUTHORSPLIT##<--->

Alabama's Elmore County Public School District has completed its installation of an Internet protocol (IP) communications platform, which integrates district-wide emergency alert capabilities.

The 15-campus district deployed a solution running Cisco Unified Communications and 1,200 IP handsets, as well as Cistera ConvergenceServer and Emergency Alerting and Notification.

The alert and notification system includes three components: RapidBroadcast, an enterprise-level application engine that uses IP phones to transmit text, voice or pre-recorded broadcasts; LMRConnect, which provides interoperability among multiple frequency two-way radio environments and the IP phones; and ZoneController, which integrates IP communications with overhead speaker systems, enabling simultaneous paging across both IP phones and overhead speakers without echo.

To verify the effectiveness of Cistera's Event Alerting and Notification solution in a simulated emergency, administrators recently conducted a successful training exercise focused on a campus intruder scenario at one of the district's middle schools.

"We are very happy with the features and capabilities of Cistera's Event Alerting and Notification solution, and we use them on a daily basis," said Davis Brock, director of technology for the school system. "But the success of the drill reinforced our overall satisfaction and peace-of-mind that we have a reliable communications system in place to share important information if we are faced with an emergency."

Get daily news from THE Journal's RSS News Feed

About the author: Dian Schaffhauser covers high tech, business and higher education for a number of publications. Contact her at [email protected].

Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected].

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.