Hillsborough County Schools seeks to reassure parents after threats

As Hillsborough County schools has received several school shooting threats recently, the district is seeking to reassure parents that there are security measures in place. John Newman, the chief of security for Hillsborough County Schools, said he monitors the Centegix crisis alert system from his office every day, and he now knows the sounds of the different alerts by heart. “That’s a teacher asking for help,” he said when the alarm sounded on his screen, noting that it wasn't a major threat. “We’ve had this for such a long time, without me looking, I know that’s probably just a staff alert being handled at the school," he said. "But when I start feeling, or hearing, the rhythm of the signal go off, you can usually tell if it’s something that’s getting elevated.

” Hillsborough County Schools started using Centegix five years ago as a crisis alert system. Every employee wears a card around their neck, and by pushing the button embedded in the card, they can call for help — or put their school in a lockdown.