Friendswood ISD’s board of trustees approved at its Nov. 10 meeting a five-year contract with FiveStones Safety for an upgrade of the district’s emergency communication system.

What you need to know

According to district documents, the emergency communication system:

• Allows anyone to call a lockdown while on campus property
• Provides staff the ability to request immediate assistance in an emergency situation
• Provides visual and audio alerts over the public address system
• Calls 911 and notifies local law enforcement of the exact incident location
• Extends alerts to the building exteriors

The upgrade will cost nearly $380,000, and it will be paid for through the district’s capital project funds, according to district documents.

How we got here

The emergency communication system stems from the district’s 2020 bond, in which funds were allotted to fund a districtwide emergency communication system, according to district documents.

Now that the five-year contract is ending in summer 2026, the board’s approval will allow another five-year contract for the system to continue.

What’s next

The system will be installed over the summer. This will include pulling new wires, beacons and upgrading badges, FISD’s Chief Financial Officer Amber Petree said.