Schools in New York will be required to consider installing silent panic alarms to alert law enforcement during an emergency under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The legislation, known as Alyssa’s Law, is named in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff. The 14-year-old was one of 17 people killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.
The measure requires that schools consider the usefulness of silent panic alarms when developing their district-level school safety plans, and expressly authorize their inclusion within building-level safety plans. The panic alarm systems themselves can cost a few thousand dollars to purchase and can be implemented in the classroom as a smartphone app, according to a statement released by the governor’s office.
“It’s not a mandate, but I stand here today to ask all school districts to adopt this,” Hochul said during a signing ceremony in Manhattan. “Please, please consider this technology to protect your students and your staff and your administrators. It will save lives.”
Schools could use silent panic alarms to get in touch with the police quickly or alert teachers, staff, and parents during an emergency such as a shooting. There are also apps available that can send email alerts and push notifications to warn of dangerous situations and help get people to safety, Hochul explained.
Florida passed a version of Alyssa’s Law in 2020 and New Jersey, where Alyssa’s family lived before moving to Florida, passed a similar measure in 2019.
“New York’s passage of Alyssa’s Law represents a true investment in the lives of students and teachers across the state,” said Alyssa’s mother, Lori Alhadeff. “Time equals life and honoring our daughter Alyssa in this way will help to Make Our Schools Safe.”