That's why Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio, a former College of Staten Island (CSI) professor of nursing, came up with an idea to help teachers during a crisis.
The Teacher Alert System (TAS) is a wireless remote that provides direct connection to the police, firefighters, EMTs and the principal. It also includes a button to alert the school and police if there is an active shooter.
"As a college professor and registered nurse I became frustrated with the lack of resources available to our teachers," Vonfrolio said. "Why can't teachers who have the responsibility of teaching and caring for our most precious possessions — our children — have a better way to summon help?"
The wireless unit connects to the base using Bluetooth, which connects to Wi-Fi, cellular or satellite.
The device features four buttons: school, police/fire, ambulance and active shooter. The buttons can also be reconfigured and changed to meet the needs of the school.
Watch the video above to see how the device would work in an emergency.
Vonfrolio recruited two partners, Patricia A. Carrasco and Traci Cangiano, owner of Cangiano Estates in Great Kills, and they recently received a patent.
The three recently collaborated with Nisha Sawhney, the founder of SnS Design Inc., a full-service product design firm that specializes in product design and product management from concept to development.
The TAS team members are exploring their options — whether they will start their own business (manufacturing, distributing and selling the device themselves), or sell the idea to another company.
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