By Christopher E. Vatter
On June 23, 2022, Governor Hochul signed “Alyssa’s Law”, which requires “schools to consider the use of silent panic alarm systems[1] when conducting review and development of their school safety plans, and to expressly authorize their inclusion within building level safety plans.”[2] Prior to the law’s enactment, schools were not required to consider the usefulness of silent panic alarm systems when developing school safety plans. The Bill is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed in a mass shooting at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass Highschool in Parkland, Florida.[3] The hope is that: “([t]he implementation of an alert directly to all law enforcement in the area of a school can save precious minutes in an active shooter situation and allow for immediate police response.”[4]
For further information regarding developments in laws impacting the schools, please contact the Firm’s Education Law Practice Group at ltenenbaum@jaspanllp.com.
[1] According to the Bill, “‘Panic Alarm System’ shall mean a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring a response from local law enforcement or, in the case of a school building located in a municipality in which there is no municipal police department, a location designated by the superintendent of state police and may include one or more of the following: wired panic button or buttons, wireless panic button or buttons or a mobile or computer application.” https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S7132
[2] https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-alyssas-law
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
