Texas classrooms now required to have silent panic alert buttons
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — Silent panic alert systems are now required in all Texas classrooms. On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott signed "Alyssa's Law" which should improve emergency response times at schools and save students’ lives.
On February 14 I texted Alyssa. I told her to run and hide and help was on the way,” said Lori Alhadeff, the mother of a 14-year-old Florida freshman.
But help did not arrive in time. Fear and confusion slowed down response times. Seventeen students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida were killed by a gunman.
“Seconds really matter. Time equals life,” said Alhadeff.
Since the mass shooting on Valentine’s Day in 2018, Alhadeff has pushed for a change that she thinks would have saved her daughter’s life. "Alyssa’s Law" requires Texas schools to have panic button alert systems.
Panic buttons are key to being able to get law enforcement to know exactly where the threat is coming from, pull up cameras, get eyes on the scene, mitigate risk, and save lives,” said Alhadeff.
In an active shooter situation, a teacher would push a silent panic alert button that activates lights and alarms and sends the location of the shooter to campus officials and first responders.
“We want to make sure that within seconds kids and teachers can communicate with first responders. Seconds save lives,” said State Representative Shawn Thierry, (D) Houston.
The Uvalde mass shooting has Texas school districts ready to act. Rep. Thierry says over 95% of districts have already applied for school safety funding that will not be available until next year.
“In Uvalde, we heard stories of children hunkering under their desks trying to use their own personal cell phones to call 911. That would not be the case if we have the right technology,” said Rep. Thierry.
Texas school districts will have until 2025 to use school safety grants to buy panic alert systems, install them and train staff and teachers on how to use them. Texas is one of five states that has passed "Alyssa's Law."