Winton Woods Schools: District-wide rollout of biometric emergency kits
The Cincinnati-area district has installed SafeDefend systems in every building, a move funded by state grants and local dollars.
By Carlos Rousseau ·
Winton Woods City Schools has installed an emergency lockdown system in every campus across the district. The expansion covers all buildings, including the Winton Woods Early Childhood Central Campus, where staff recently completed their training sessions.
The district originally installed the SafeDefend system in 2021. The company is based in Kansas and was founded by a former educator after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The system relies on wall-mounted boxes that open via a fingerprint scan.
When a staff member activates the device, the system triggers a campus-wide alarm and alerts local law enforcement. It also grants access to a specific set of emergency tools stored inside. Each box holds gel pepper spray, a window-breaking baton, a trauma kit, a safety vest, flex cuffs, a high-intensity strobe flashlight, and a whistle.
Dan Cole of SafeDefend described the goal as preparing, notifying, and protecting staff. He noted that the system is designed to give staff peace of mind while they wait for assistance. Cole added that having immediate access to these tools helps reduce chaos during the first few minutes of a crisis.
Winton Woods Superintendent Steve Denny said the district's primary mission is education, but safety enables that mission. He stated the vision is to have an equal amount of protection across the entire district. District leaders said the expansion ensures that security measures are consistent in every building.
Winton Woods is the first school district in the Cincinnati area to implement this specific technology. SafeDefend systems are currently installed in schools across 11 states. The district funded the expansion using a combination of state grant dollars and local funds. The boxes include battery backups to function during power outages and will be integrated into routine safety drills.
The rollout follows the initial pilot program that began in 2021. Staff at the Early Childhood Central Campus were the most recent group to complete the required training for the new equipment.
