Alta-Aurelia schools plan new threat response app and training
Alta-Aurelia will add the E3 alert app and reunification drills this fall, giving parents and first responders a clearer crisis response path.
Superintendent Denny Olhausen outlined the plan at the Alta-Aurelia School Board’s June 14 meeting.
The district will use E3, an emergency alert platform from Emergent 3, alongside training from The I Love U Guys Foundation as it updates how it would respond to a serious threat or evacuation.
E3 can send internal alerts to staff or broader alerts to students, parents and first responders, and it can be used silently or during a drill. On iPhones, the alert can break through Do Not Disturb settings in the same way an Amber Alert does. Once the system is activated, users can answer whether they are in a safe or unsafe location and then move into chat for real-time updates. Administrators will also be able to use smart-map building floorplans to track room-by-room status during an incident.
The district will need training to match the technology. Principal Taylor Boeckholt, who became principal of Aurelia Elementary and Alta-Aurelia Middle School in 2024, said the drills are intended to reduce nerves and create consistency so the response feels familiar if it is ever needed. The district has also looked at other Iowa schools, including Emmetsburg, that have adopted similar tools.
The reunification piece is designed to help schools account for students and return them to parents or guardians after a crisis. The I Love U Guys Foundation says its Standard Reunification Method is used in more than 78,000 schools, districts, departments, agencies, organizations and communities worldwide. Its SRM-REx exercise is a two-day, hands-on training for school and district staff, public safety officials and community partners.
The district spans about 260 square miles and serves roughly 780 K-12 students across facilities in both Alta and Aurelia.
The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management offers free active shooter training for educators, and a January 2026 report counted more than 1,400 Iowa schools with school-safety mapping and 911-forwarding technology.
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