Monday is the first day of school in Broward County and there's an added layer of security this year: All staff will be wearing an alert badge that brings help immediately in the event of an emergency.

Staff at Coral Cove Academy of the Arts K-8 in Miramar got a vital lesson in school security on Friday. They were among the final staff district-wide in Broward to learn about the new crisis alert panic buttons.

About 30,000 badges have been distributed at 250 school sites, where the badges alert administrators and first responders when there's an emergency on campus.

Three presses of the button mean there's a medical emergency or something suspicious, which administrators address; eight presses trigger a lockdown and a 9-1-1 notification.

Emergency management coordinator Thomas Dusch, w

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