Alyssa’s Law

School Safety: What is Alyssa's Law?

It is impossible to deny that school safety and the prevention of mass shootings are essential. Few are aware that a law exists that addresses the issue of response times during a life-threatening emergency. It is called Alyssa's Law, and it calls for installing warning lights and a silent panic alarm in schools to provide the fastest possible support during a Code Red. Code Red is when a Voice-Activated Radio Dispatch Alarm (VARD) has been sent to law enforcement for immediate dispatch to an emergency site. In a Code Red, every second counts.

Alyssa's Law was named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, who lost her life in the 2018 Stoneman Douglas School shooting. Investigation of the tragedy found that the contributing factor to life loss was insufficient response time. The Law calls for installing a silent panic button in schools and a direct channel of alerting the local police to reduce response time during an active shooter incident. In addition, the Law would require all public elementary and secondary schools to install emergency mechanisms approved by The Department of Education.

Allyssa's Law supports a rapid response from law enforcement in emergencies. Every second is critical and may be the determining factor between a good and a tragic outcome. The Law has been passed in New Jersey and Florida, proposed in New York, Nebraska, and Arizona, and introduced to Congress on a federal level. In addition, Alyssa's mom, Lori Alhadeff, is working towards making Alyssa's Law a federal mandate through her organization "Make Our Schools Safe." There are petitions to ensure Alyssa's Law gets passed at the national level. To sign the federal petition and for individual state information for Alyssa's Law, go to makeourschoolssafe.org.

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