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Manatee first in nation to pilot school security video tech integration. * By Elizabeth King * | 4:18 p.m. September 17, 2026 * | 2 Free Articles Remaining! * Manatee-Sarasota The School District of Manatee County is the first school district in the nation to integrate two technology platforms that give security personnel and first responders access to live video feeds when a staff member activates a wearable panic button. The two technologies are made by Centegix and Open Eye. Centegix provides wearable panic buttons that activate crisis alerts. In the School District of Manatee County, these come in the form of badges. Every staff member, including substitute teachers, is required to wear the badge when on a school or district campus. Pressing it notifies first responders of the emergency and the badge's location. In May, the Manatee County school board approved an annual contract with Centegix for $345,000. In 2020, the Florida legislature passed Alyssa's Law in the aftermath of the 2018 Parkland shootings that required Florida public schools to implement a mobile panic alert system. The Manatee school district, officials say, has now gone a step further than emergency notification and integrated the Centegix technology with OpenEye, a cloud-based video platform that can associate nearby camera feeds with crisis alert activations. This helps first responders assess incidents more quickly, informing their decision-making during emergencies. "The first question every responder asks is, 'What are we walking into?' With hundreds of cameras in a typical school, it's nearly impossible to quickly access the ones you need in real-time," Scott Hansen, chief technology officer for the School District of Manatee County says in a statement. "Centegix now provides an immediate solution. Live video, maps and context will be automatically streamed directly to dispatchers and first responders, turning our cameras into a real-time response resource rather than solely a post-event tool." The School District of Manatee County was the first partner to pilot the technology integration in the country and was involved with shaping the product, according to Centegix CEO Brent Cobb. "Every second between receiving an alert and understanding what's happening matters," Cobb says in the statement. "By bringing live video and location information together, this integration gives on-site teams and, when needed, emergency response personnel, greater context to assess a situation and coordinate an appropriate response." The estimated annual expenditure for OpenEye is $486,000, according to Hansen, who notes the district did not incur any cost for the integration between Centegix and OpenEye. School District of Manatee County superintendent Laurie Breslin says the new integration supports the school district's top priority: safety and security. "Our investment in technology is ultimately an investment in people, ensuring that students can focus on learning and employees can focus on supporting them, with the confidence that their well-being remains at the center of every decision we make," Breslin says in an emailed response to questions from the Business Observer about the new technology. "These enhanced safety measures strengthen our ability to identify potential concerns, respond quickly when needed and provide an additional layer of protection. The safety and security of our students and staff will always be our highest priority."

OpenEye and CENTEGIX integrate live video and emergency alerts to accelerate incident response. School District of Manatee County is among the first to leverage the integration, giving responders immediate access to live video alongside CrisisAlert(TM) emergency alerts. September 15, 2026 09:00 ET | Source: CENTEGIX ATLANTA, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - CENTEGIX(R), the leader in rapid incident response safety solutions, today announced a new integration with OpenEye, a leading provider of cloud-managed video security solutions, that automatically delivers live OpenEye camera feeds into the CENTEGIX Safety Platform(R) when a CrisisAlert(TM) emergency alert is activated. The cloud-to-cloud integration connects OpenEye Web Services (OWS) with the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, automatically associating nearby camera feeds with CrisisAlert activations. By bringing alerts and live video into a single interface, security and responder teams can immediately assess an incident without switching between systems. The School District of Manatee County, in Florida, is among the first districts to leverage the integration, giving responders immediate access to live video alongside emergency alerts when a wearable panic button is activated. The automated visual context helps security teams assess incidents more quickly and make more informed decisions during emergencies. "Student success depends on creating schools where students and staff feel safe, supported, and ready to learn," said Dr. Laurie Breslin, Superintendent, School District of Manatee County in Bradenton, Florida. "By continuing to strengthen how we prepare for and respond to safety incidents, we're helping create the kind of environment where our educators can teach with confidence and our students can thrive." "The first question every responder asks is, 'What are we walking into?' With hundreds of cameras in a typical school, it's nearly impossible to quickly access the ones you need in real-time," said Scott Hansen, Chief Technology Officer, School District of Manatee County in Bradenton FL. "CENTEGIX now provides an immediate solution. Live video, maps, and context will be automatically streamed directly to dispatchers and first responders, turning our cameras into a real-time response resource rather than solely a post-event tool." Beyond emergency response, the integration simplifies post-incident investigations by pairing CENTEGIX alert data with OpenEye video, making it easier to locate, review, and share relevant footage. For K-12 organizations, it also supports school safety initiatives and helps districts meet state and local emergency response requirements, including Alyssa's Law where applicable. "We're thrilled to partner with CENTEGIX to provide users with rapid access to critical video during emergency situations," said Jon Swatzell, Vice President of Systems Engineering at OpenEye. "By combining OpenEye's cloud video platform with CENTEGIX's incident response capabilities, organizations can improve situational awareness and strengthen safety across their campuses and facilities." "Every second between receiving an alert and understanding what's happening matters," said Brent Cobb, CEO of CENTEGIX. "By bringing live video and location information together, this integration gives on-site teams and, when needed, emergency response personnel greater context to assess a situation and coordinate an appropriate response. It's another example of how connected technology can support faster, more informed action from everyday incidents to the most serious emergencies." The OpenEye integration is the latest addition to the CENTEGIX Platform Partner ecosystem, connecting industry-leading technologies that help organizations detect, understand, and respond to emergencies with greater speed and confidence. To learn more about the OpenEye integration or see how Manatee County School District is using the solution to strengthen school safety, visit www.centegix.com or contact CENTEGIX directly. About CENTEGIX CENTEGIX(R) is the leader in rapid incident response safety solutions, protecting more than 18 million people across 18,000+ locations in all 50 states. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform(R), including CrisisAlert(TM) wearable panic buttons, Safety Blueprint(R) critical incident mapping, Visitor Management, and Reunification, gives organizations the tools to plan for and respond to any emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. CENTEGIX serves K-12 and higher education, healthcare, government, commercial, and public safety organizations nationwide. About OpenEye OpenEye creates intelligent cloud video solutions that make people safer and organizations stronger. Offering AI-powered capabilities through a flexible and scalable platform, OpenEye Web Services (OWS) helps businesses turn video into actionable insights, moving reactive security to proactive operations, reduced risk, and measurable ROI. Unlock business intelligence with an open, intelligent, and trusted cloud video platform. To learn more, visit openeye.net. Media Contact Robb Monkman Chief Marketing Officer, CENTEGIX [email protected]

CENTEGIX expands Visitor Management as part of its comprehensive school Safety Platform. Sep 09, 2026, 09:00 ET Continued investment in the Visitu solution advances CENTEGIX's vision for one connected platform supporting safety throughout the school day ATLANTA, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - CENTEGIX(R), the leader in rapid incident response safety solutions, today announced it has expanded its Visitu Visitor Management capabilities within the CENTEGIX Safety Platform(R). Since acquiring Visitu in May 2026, CENTEGIX has focused on strengthening its visitor management experience and connecting it more closely to the company's safety solutions. Every day, schools manage the movement of students, staff, parents, volunteers, contractors, vendors, and other visitors. Visitu replaces manual visitor processes with a digital workflow for check-in, identification, monitoring, and reporting. The new Visitu capabilities in the CENTEGIX Safety Platform include: * Visitor Locating: Authorized staff can see the near real-time location of designated visitors and contractors while they are on-site, extending visibility beyond the front office. * Visitor Log Reporting: Detailed visitor logs allow arrival and departure time verification after visits conclude. * Expanded SIS Integrations: Connect Visitu with the systems schools already use every day, reducing manual work for front office staff and creating a more streamlined visitor management experience. * More Printer Options: Expanded printer support gives schools greater flexibility for visitor pass printing. * New App and Starter Kits: A new Visitu Kiosk iPad app and starter kit provide additional options for deploying a complete visitor check-in experience. "We love Visitu," shared Rebecca Furlong, Director of Systems and Operations, Wooster City School District in Wooster, OH. "It's so easy to use and our parents appreciate all of the security features including text/email notifications." Together, these enhancements help schools improve visitor visibility, reduce administrative work, and simplify day-to-day visitor management. The investment reflects the ongoing evolution of the CENTEGIX Safety Platform: connecting technology that supports daily school operations with the tools schools rely on to prepare for and respond to emergencies. "School safety doesn't begin when an emergency happens. It is something schools manage every moment of every day," said Brent Cobb, CEO of CENTEGIX. "Our goal is to give schools a more connected approach to safety without adding more complexity for the people responsible for it." One Platform. Every Moment of Every Day. CENTEGIX continues to expand its offering to help schools address safety throughout the entire school day. The platform brings together solutions for incident response, digital mapping and preparedness, visitor management and locating, daily student movement, school messaging, and emergency management. By connecting these capabilities within one connected platform, CENTEGIX helps schools reduce gaps between systems and gives staff and administrators a more comprehensive approach to protecting their communities. "Safety is not one moment, one product, or one type of incident," Cobb added. "Our vision is to help schools build a connected safety environment that supports the everyday moments as well as the extreme, so their people have the tools and information they need when it matters most." To learn more about Visitu Visitor Management and the full CENTEGIX Safety Platform, visit www.centegix.com. About CENTEGIX CENTEGIX(R) is the leader in rapid incident response safety solutions, protecting more than 18 million people across 18,000+ locations in all 50 states. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform(R), including CrisisAlert(TM) wearable panic buttons, Safety Blueprint(R) critical incident mapping, Visitu Visitor Management, and Reunification, gives organizations the tools to plan for and respond to any emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. CENTEGIX serves K-12 and higher education, healthcare, government, commercial, and public safety organizations nationwide. Media Contact: Robb Monkman Chief Marketing Officer, CENTEGIX SOURCE CENTEGIX