Mother pushes ‘Alyssa’s Law’
Parkland parent hopes that Florida legislators will embrace ‘Alyssa’s Law’
Parkland parent Lori Alhadeff is urging the Florida Legislature to pass Alyssa’s Law, which is named after her daughter and would require each school building be equipped with at least one panic alarm that could be triggered during a mass shooting or lockdown.
Lori Alhadeff wants her daughter’s name to live on through a law that she says will prevent deaths if a gunman threatens another Florida school.
Nearly two years ago, Alhadeff ’s 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was one of 17 students and staff who were killed in the Parkland school shooting.
Now, Alhadeff is urging the Florida Legislature to pass Alyssa’s law, which would require each school be equipped with at least one panic alarm that could be triggered during a mass shooting or lockdown.
“To honor Alyssa’s legacy means everything to my family and that Alyssa’s name lives on forever,” Alhadeff said. “Alyssa’s Law will save people’s lives in the future.”
The legislation received its first hearing Monday with a Senate panel moving it forward with a favorable recommendation. State legislators kicked off their 60-day session Tuesday.
The alarm system could take a variety of forms depending on the vendor chosen by school districts, Alhadeff said. Some systems allow faculty and staff to set off a panic alarm through a phone app. Others involve alarms mounted in classrooms or offices. All of the systems would have to be linked to law enforcement.
One of the advantages of cellphone-based alarms is students and staff could be immediately notified an alarm has been triggered, giving them more notice that they need to shelter or flee, Alhadeff said. It would cost nearly $236 million to install an alarm at every traditional public and charter school in the state, according to a 2019 analysis by the Florida Department of Education.
Supporters say the systems are worth the cost because they make response times faster.
“At the end of the day, we want to make sure our children are kept safe and we are working toward that end,” said state Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, who is sponsoring Alyssa’s Law.
Book pushed the bill last year, but it failed to get a committee hearing. Unlike a 911 call, panic
alarms can immediately supply law enforcement with the exact location and nature of the incident with a press of a button.
The average mass shooting lasts 12 minutes, according to a legislative analysis of the bill, but the average nationwide response time to a 911 call, factoring in all types of calls, is about 15 minutes. Lawmakers in New Jersey, where Alhadeff used to live, passed Alyssa’s Law last year. Federal legislation has also been filed to create a national requirement.
Alhadeff was elected to the Broward School Board after her daughter’s death, campaigning on a platform of making schools safer.
“Communication is key in response time,” she said. “In these emergency situations, seconds matter.”