Case Study: Arlington Public Schools achieves unified, redundant mass notification and rapid emergency response with Alertus Technologies

Connecting Critical Mass Notification Components Through System Integration

Arlington Public Schools (APS), a public school system in Arlington County, VA serving 27,000+ students and 8,000+ teachers and staff, faced a fragmented mass notification environment—911, Everbridge, PA systems, access control relays and other tools operated separately. Assistant Director James Miller wanted a unified, redundant solution to connect these pieces and improve preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. APS selected Alertus Technologies and its Alertus Alert Beacons® with wall-mounted activation buttons to integrate with Everbridge, Bosch access control relays, Rauland Telecenter U and PA systems.

Alertus Technologies deployed Alert Beacons and single-point activation buttons across the district, tying alerts into Everbridge to send texts, emails and phone calls while alerting staff and first responders. The integrated system created redundancy and faster, district-wide notification—enabling lockdowns and notifying neighboring schools during real incidents (including a nearby reported shooting) and allowing staff to be alerted before PA announcements. APS reports improved rapid activation, interoperability and a stronger overall emergency posture for its 27,000+ students and 8,000+ staff, with Alertus Technologies credited for ongoing support and potential future expansions.

Arlington Public Schools

Jeremiah Schupbach

Senior Systems Engineer and Architect