A New Model for Schools? Fontana Unified Expands CrisisAlert, Launches Derek Fisher’s Be Better Pilot

Fontana Unified School District closed out the spring with two new initiatives already in motion — one designed to speed emergency response on campuses, the other to give students new opportunities to build teamwork, leadership and mentorship skills.

The larger of the two efforts is the district’s expansion of the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert emergency response platform, a wearable badge system that allows staff to trigger different levels of alerts depending on the situation. The system has already been piloted at Sierra Lakes Elementary, Canyon Crest Elementary, Almeria Middle School and A.B. Miller High School.

Adam Perez, a Fontana Unified school board member who also works as a city detective, said the technology helps first responders move faster by pinpointing where help is needed.

“Seconds can save lives,” Perez said. “This gives us the ability to focus directly on where the threat or need is and respond as quickly as possible.”

Michael Garcia, the district’s chief of staff, said the platform has proven especially valuable in medical situations, when teachers need immediate help but cannot leave students unattended.

“What we’ve really seen is the value in medical distress situations,” Garcia said. “A teacher can stay with a student, press the badge and get help to that classroom quickly.”

District officials said the response at pilot campuses has been positive. Craig Baker, Fontana Unified’s associate superintendent of student services, said some early concerns centered on whether the badges could interfere with a pacemaker or track employees throughout the day, but those questions were addressed through training and support from the district’s school police department.

District leaders said they want to expand CrisisAlert districtwide, though additional funding will be needed. Perez said the broader rollout is expected to cost more than $1 million. The district recently secured a $418,000 investment, in partnership with San Bernardino County Supervisor Jesse Armendarez, to help continue the expansion.

Alongside that safety effort, Fontana Unified also launched a spring break pilot with Derek Fisher’s Be Better Foundation at Wayne Ruble Middle School.

The free program served 50 students during spring break and ran Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. District leaders said it included basketball instruction, but was designed more broadly to help students strengthen communication, collaboration and leadership skills.

Baker said the district intentionally began with one campus before weighing whether the program should expand further.

“We’re starting with a pilot at Wayne Ruble Middle School, where 50 students signed up to participate during spring break,” Baker said. “It included basketball skills, but it was also about leadership, teamwork and collaboration.”

Baker said the program’s purpose extended well beyond athletics.

“It’s not only about sharpening basketball skills,” Baker said. “A big part of it is learning how to communicate, work together and get along with one another. If you don’t have that skill set, it doesn’t work out so well.”

Perez said conversations about bringing the program to Fontana Unified began around December 2025 after local connections introduced district leadership to the foundation. He said the partnership fit naturally with the district’s broader focus on after-school opportunities, mentorship and financial literacy.

“This foundation brings a powerful message,” Perez said. “It shows students that with consistency, accountability and strong mentorship, anything is possible.”

Perez said that message also aligns with financial literacy efforts already underway in the district. He pointed to Fontana Unified’s “Vital Reality” program, which places high school seniors in simulations involving rent, bills, credit and other real-life financial decisions. Garcia added that the district has also partnered with Junior Achievement of Southern California to support financial literacy programming for students and families.

Together, the two initiatives show how the district is trying to strengthen both safety and student support on campus.

“We want people to recognize the great work our staff is doing and the great things our students are doing,” Perez said.