Does Cora Alert work in older school buildings and Wi-Fi dead zones?

Yes. Cora Alert runs on a private LoRaWAN network that is independent of your district's Wi-Fi and cellular coverage. It's built for gyms, portable classrooms, parking lots, and older wings with thick walls — the locations where most school safety incidents occur and where Wi-Fi-dependent systems most often fail.

What does our IT team need to do to deploy Cora Alert?

Very little. Because Cora Alert operates on its own private network rather than your district's Wi-Fi, there is no new IT infrastructure, no network reconfiguration, and no added load on existing systems required.

Is Cora Alert available on a purchasing cooperative?

Yes. Cora Alert is available through the TIPS Cooperative Purchasing Contract #260105, under the Technology Solutions, Products & Services category. TIPS is a national purchasing cooperative, so public agencies and school districts can purchase directly without a separate RFP or competitive bid.

How can our district fund a Cora Alert deployment?

Most districts fund school safety technology through a combination of sources: the federal COPS School Violence Prevention Program, an annual competitive grant covering up to 75% of qualifying costs (up to $500,000 per district); state-level school safety funding allocations, where they exist; and TIPS cooperative purchasing, which removes the procurement barrier that usually slows a purchase most. Cora Alert can help map costs to your district's specific funding line during a scoping call.

Washington Alyssa's Law — What Your District Needs
Washington's SB 5004 Gives You Several Ways to Comply — a Wearable Panic Button Is the Fastest to Deploy

TIPS Cooperative Purchasing Contract 260105 badge -- Technology Solutions Products and Services category

Washington Enacted SB 5004 in May 2025

What your district needs to have in place — and what most systems miss.

Washington's SB 5004, signed May 19, 2025, requires every district to implement at least one of several options: a panic or alert button, a live video feed, a live audio feed, remote-controlled door access, or a two-way communications system. Districts had to report their progress to OSPI by October 1, 2025. A wearable panic button satisfies the requirement directly, and it's the fastest and least disruptive of the listed options to actually deploy — no new door hardware, no live video infrastructure, no new comms system to build. Room-level location isn't required by the statute, but it's what makes the response to that button useful once it's pressed.

Beyond the basic panic button

Washington's 2025 Alyssa's Law requirements include live response capability — meaning the system must provide actionable information to responders, not just trigger an alert. Room-level location of the staff member in distress is central to meeting this intent.

One tap. Room-level location. Private network.

Cora Alert uses a private 1000+ foot range LoRaWAN network — completely independent of your district's Wi-Fi, cellular, and IT infrastructure.

How Washington Districts Can Fund a Panic Button System

SB 5004 requires Washington districts to implement a qualifying safety measure — including a wearable panic button system — but it doesn't come with dedicated state funding attached to the mandate itself. Districts typically cover the cost through a combination of these paths:

STOP School Violence Act grants (federal). Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, these competitive grants specifically fund school safety technology and threat assessment programs, and cover exactly the kind of wearable panic-button hardware and software Cora Alert provides. This is the funding vehicle most directly built for a purchase like this one.

Title IV-A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment (federal, formula-based). Washington districts already receive Title IV-A funds automatically through OSPI — no separate application required — and the program's allowable uses include technology that supports safe and healthy school environments. Districts don't need to apply for new money; they need to confirm how much of their existing allocation is uncommitted.

Local capital levies and bonds. Many Washington districts fund safety technology purchases through voter-approved capital levies, the same mechanism used for facility and infrastructure upgrades — worth checking against your district's current levy cycle.

State legislative appropriations tied to SB 5004 compliance. Because SB 5004 requires districts to report progress to OSPI by set deadlines, it's worth watching for future state appropriations earmarked specifically for compliance costs, similar to how other states have followed an initial mandate with implementation funding in a later session.

Purchase Through Your Cooperative — No RFP Required

Cora Alert is available through the TIPS Cooperative Purchasing Contract (Contract #260105). TIPS is a national purchasing cooperative that allows school districts to purchase directly without conducting a separate RFP or competitive bid — saving procurement time and cost.

TIPS Contract: #260105 | Category: Technology Solutions, Products & Services

View Cora Alert on TIPS →

A full campus safety system — not just a panic button

Alert Locator Tags — wearable, IP67 water/shock resistant, ~1-year rechargeable battery. One tap activates a silent alert with room-level location.
Managed BLE Beacons — installed throughout your campus. 5+ year battery life. Remote battery monitoring via LoRaWAN — the system alerts you before there's ever a dead device. No staff dependency, no surprises.
LoRaWAN Gateways — private network, up to 1,000 ft range, penetrates complex structures. No Wi-Fi dependency — built for the rural and older-building realities of Michigan campuses.
Alert Panel — fixed display showing staff location and alert status in real time.
AI incident summarization — real-time summary of what's happening so responders know the situation before they arrive.
Facilities sensors (available) — door/window sensors on the same LoRaWAN network verify your locked-door policy is actually working.
E-911 Integration — optional Intrado integration connects Cora Alert directly to 911/PSAP infrastructure.

Common Questions from Washington Districts

"SB 5004 doesn't specifically require Cora Alert — can't we just use our existing intercom or radio system?"
SB 5004 lists several compliant options, including panic buttons, live video, live audio, remote door access, or a two-way communication system — but most existing intercom and PA systems weren't built for silent, mobile activation. A staff member has to reach a fixed unit and often speak aloud to trigger a response, which doesn't work in a lockdown, a hallway incident, or a scenario where speaking gives away a hiding location. Cora Alert satisfies the panic-button and communication-system paths with a wearable device any staff member can trigger silently from anywhere on campus.

"We're mid-budget-cycle — can this wait until next year?"
Districts have a compliance reporting deadline to OSPI, and procurement and deployment take time once a purchase is approved. Starting the evaluation now, even if the purchase lands in a later budget cycle, keeps you ahead of that deadline rather than scrambling against it.

"How disruptive is installation and staff training?"
Cora Alert tags require no new wiring or hardwired infrastructure — deployment is largely a matter of provisioning devices and a short staff training session, not a construction project. Most districts are fully operational quickly.

20 minutes. No sales pressure. Just answers.

We talk to Washington safety directors, superintendents, and technology directors every week. Most conversations are about the same three things: does it really work in our oldest building, what does the IT team need to do, and how do we get this approved.

We can answer all three in 20 minutes.