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Bill123, The RAve App has been explained at least twice in the pages of the Beacon over the past year or two. I'm always amazed at how something like this can have suspect motives ascribed to it. Activating the App from your phone does not in any way, shape, or form, circumvent the 911 system. In addition to notifying 911 immediately, it also alerts on-duty officers, who also have the app on their phones, so they can respond immediately to the alert. In addition, other emergency services are notified like the WFD & Kent Hospital. It's important to know that the WPD is a very strong supporter of this system and the use of the App. Activating the App reduces the response time significantly compared to an individual dialing 911, talking to a "real person" and explaining the nature of the emergency - while in a high-anxiety, possibly panic inducing situation. Activating the Mutual Link system also gives first responders access to our building cameras so they can see what's going on inside the building in real time. With roughly half the overall district employees having the app on their phone (some schools are in the low - mid 30% participation and some at 80+% participation) I guess parents just have to hope that if, God forbid, an intruder enters their child's school building, the first district employee they encounter has the app on their phone. In a few buildings those chances are very good but in most others they are not. If we think student safety is paramount, then having this on your phone aligns with that and, other than not actually having a cell phone, there's no reason why it shouldn't be on every employee's phone. To me it's that simple...

David Testa