ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the Albuquerque Public Schools district welcomes students back for the new year, they’re expanding what they say is an advancement in classroom safety.

It’s a new accessory that some staff wore toward the end of the last school year. After staff reportedly said it gave them a sense of safety and comfort, pretty much all staff will wear it this year.

“Our staff have pointed out that they have a great level of, feeling safer because of what we’ve established with the badges,” APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey said. “It’s just something extra that we want to make sure that we provide to our teachers. Because without a safe environment, it’s really hard to feel confident in your work and in your learning. So anything we can do to help in that sense is really important to us.”

What is the accessory? It’s called Centegix, a crisis alert system that allows a staff member to report an emergency or safety threat with a push of a button on a badge. You can that badge around your neck on a lanyard.

“If they need emergency assistance, like security or police or whatever, there’s a special way they push the button and that way that sends police and everybody to that location,” said John Dufay, the deputy COO of APS.

It’s like calling 911 without worrying about having your phone.

Superintendent Blakey says it’s not only up to the teachers to watch out for safety. She says students must keep an eye out. They encourage them to say something if they see something.

“We’re working with Crime Stoppers to have Crime Stoppers in the schools, too, so that students can alert the police if they see something that’s unusual,” she said.

If there is an emergency, school leaders are confident students will know to follow their training.

“The shelter in place, school still continues. Everything’s locked down. But it’s shelter in place and the schools have all been trained. And that is one of the things if there was a real emergency,” Dufay said.

If there’s an emergency, the district or school staff will use the school website to alert parents. They will also use their messenger system and social media.

APS also launched “Let’s Talk“. It’s an online page that gives guardians an area to voice concerns or questions directly with the district. They expect staff to answer within 48 hours.