GREENVILLE — All teachers and staff members in Greenville County Schools now wear an alert button with their ID.

If they press the button three times, it alerts school leaders and security personnel that a student is running from the school — termed "elopement" in special education circles. If they press it seven times or more, it alerts them of an active shooter.

The new buttons, set in a plastic card the same size as the school IDs employees wear all day, are powered by Raptor Technologies, a security tech company that has contracted with the school district for about eight years, said Greg Porter, head of security for Greenville County Schools.

At a cost of $1.1 million over the next three years, the new buttons are a major expansion of the Raptor system, which also sends alerts when

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