In this featured piece by American School & University, Terry Swanson, president and CEO of Singlewire Software, details how Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison, Wisconsin, modernized its emergency preparedness without losing the welcoming culture that defines its century-old campus. Rather than waiting for an Alyssa’s Law mandate, Edgewood equipped all staff with the InformaCast Wearable Alert Badge — a wearable, location-aware device tied into the school’s existing communications systems — giving any teacher a fast, discreet way to call for help. The article walks through how the school separated everyday requests from major emergencies, added room-level location tracking, integrated the technology on an open platform to protect its budget, and extended the same safety mindset to visitor management.
Key Takeaways
- Edgewood took a proactive approach, adopting wearable silent panic alarm technology ahead of any mandate, at a time when 10 states have passed Alyssa’s Law and federal legislation is moving through Congress.
- The InformaCast Wearable Alert Badge separates everyday needs from major emergencies: one discreet button combination alerts internal response leads for a localized medical or student issue, while a distinct multi-press sequence initiates full emergency protocols and a lockdown, which reduces alarm fatigue.
- Location-aware technology mapped to the school’s floor plans pinpoints exactly where a staff member is when a badge is activated, so the closest responder can reach them across a complex, multi-story campus.
- An open incident management platform links the badges to Edgewood’s existing infrastructure — IP speakers and paging, digital displays, and desktop and mobile devices — so a single activation coordinates alerts everywhere at once, without replacing working equipment or straining the budget.
- Edgewood’s lessons for other schools: standardize emergency language using a shared framework like the Standard Response Protocol from The “I Love U Guys” Foundation, keep tools simple enough for daily use, and extend safety to visitor management at the front door.
Original Story
Across the K-12 landscape, safety expectations are rapidly shifting. Ten states have now passed Alyssa’s Law, which mandates silent emergency alert technology directly linking schools to first responders, while federal legislation continues to move through Congress. While many districts take a wait-and-see approach to compliance, administrators at Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison, Wisconsin, took a proactive, mission-driven approach to modernizing campus emergency preparedness.
Founded nearly 150 years ago by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Edgewood serves approximately 600 students and 100 faculty and staff on a century-old campus. The central challenge was clear: strengthen the school’s security infrastructure against modern threats without losing the warmth, heart, and sense of welcome that defines its learning environment.
By integrating wearable, silent panic alarm technology into their existing communications architecture, Edgewood established an operational blueprint that balances campus-wide protection, staff confidence, and financial stewardship. Here is how Edgewood approached its safety transformation, along with key takeaways for K-12 facilities leaders, administrators, and architects.