Traditionally, it can take 30 to 90 seconds to get an entire school locked down during an emergency, said Rainier School District superintendent Tim Garchow.

But that time has been cut down to about five seconds at Rainier Middle School. It was the first in the country to install School Alert, a new program that can remotely lock down and transmit surveillance camera footage to law enforcement — with the touch of a button.

“The faster you get a barrier between your children and a threat, the better,” Garchow said.