MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), in partnership with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), has partnered with nSide, our School Safety Platform, to make Alabama schools safer by adding a new program to existing technology. The collective efforts of the organizations have created the Alabama Emergency Alert System for Education (AEASE, pronounced A’s) – an nSide system called nSide|Notify, manned by ALEA, that provides enhanced emergency communications between law enforcement and schools aiding in prevention, response, and recovery concerning emergencies in Alabama public schools.
AEASE will use the existing rapid notification and emergency alert systems that schools have already invested in, to create one unified platform that better allows law enforcement to assess threats from tips, calls to 911 call centers, and the continual analysis and identification of trends and events. The addition of nSide|Notify to existing mass notification systems is available to all Alabama schools at no cost. State Superintendent Eric Mackey said any level of safety and security that can be added to Alabama school children and their environment is a welcomed idea.
“You cannot put a price on the safety and well-being of our children, but it helps that this does not put a financial strain on our schools. Working collectively with ALEA and nSide brings yet another layer of monitoring and oversight to the schools that house our most precious assets for most of the day,” Mackey said. “Although our school administrators have safety plans and our schools are guarded carefully, we all know we live in an unpredictable world. Having more law enforcement with additional communication abilities through AEASE is another tool in the toolbox that we use to keep our children safe.”
ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said ALEA’s steadfast commitment to protect and serve Alabamians doesn’t stop at the schoolhouse door; in fact, it extends to every corner of the state.
“The creation of AEASE is a testament to the hard work and collaboration of the organizations involved, and to a shared vision of improved communication, awareness, and safety for our students,” Taylor said. “ALEA is here to assist school officials and law enforcement partners to better protect students and to identify or prevent potential emergencies. While doing so, we are working toward our goal of providing quality service, protection, and safety to the citizens of Alabama.”
AEASE Provides New Level of Protection at No Cost to Schools or School Districts
Dr. Steve McKinney, Founder and CEO of nSide, said all school systems need to do is include
a phone number provided by nSide to their existing rapid response system; this ensures the
AEASE platform receives all emergency notifications.
“School leaders in Alabama have been diligently striving to keep their schools safe. Most all
have communications, surveillance, and physical security systems in place. The training and
experience they have with the existing system are still very valid,” McKinney said. “AEASE
serves as an additional layer of security and, beyond what is currently being used.”
For more information about nSide, contact Dr. Steve McKinney at help@nside.io or at 1-800-
604-1822.
