Lexington County School District 3 has announced a new tool to respond to active shooter situations.

Staff members at the district, which serves Batesburg-Leesville, now have the SchoolGuard app on their mobile devices and tablets. According to a release, the “easy-to-use” app, developed by Guard911, “is designed to contact 911 dispatchers at the push of a button should an active shooter or armed intrusion situation occur.”

“In addition to calling 911, the app also notifies the Hero911 Network that is composed of more than 60,000 federal, state and local first responders that a shooting or armed intrusion has occurred at a specific location, enabling the nearest law enforcement officer to get to the scene as quickly as possible,” the release states. “The app also notifies other staff members on campus that an emergency situation is occurring, thus giving them more time to begin following their school’s emergency response plan.”

Per the release, the district is the first in the state to start using the app.

A spokesperson for the district confirmed that access to the app is restricted to district staff members.

According to the Guard911 website, the company was formed in 2013 by “law enforcement and technology experts with experience and a deep psychological approach to active shooter emergencies.” The Hero911 Network, the website states, provides access to more than 60,000 federal, state and local officers.

“Protecting our Panthers and providing a safe learning environment is at the heart of what we do every single day in Lexington County School District Three,” Todd Bedenbaugh, Lexington 3’s director of security, is quoted in the district’s release. “We are constantly evaluating our emergency plans to ensure that our schools are operating at their safest levels and we feel that the addition of the SchoolGuard mobile phone app is an extra layer of protection and security that we pray we never have to use.”