Customer Experience

New York school adds visitor kiosk, wearable panic buttons

Image: Adobe stock

September 17, 2026

Summarize with

St. Christopher's School in Tonawanda, New York, has installed a visitor management kiosk and provided staff with wearable panic buttons as part of new security measures, according to a WKBW report. Visitors must check in at the kiosk and scan a driver's license before entering the school. Principal Denise Cronyn said the system checks the identification against local law enforcement databases, photographs the visitor and prints a badge containing the visitor's photo and reason for being at the school.

The school also equipped adults throughout the building, including faculty, cafeteria employees and custodians, with wearable panic buttons using a safety platform from Centegix supplied by INK Labs. The devices can immediately alert nine designated responders inside the school and can be used for situations ranging from a medical emergency to an outside threat. The system can also contact 911 when necessary and identify the location where an emergency alert originated.

The security system includes beacons and strobe lights in classrooms and hallways that can signal a lockdown. Cronyn said safety is a priority for the 370 students, faculty and staff in the building and described the technology as providing additional peace of mind. The improvements were financed with money raised by parents through the school's annual gala.