Alyssa’s Law (HB 3083), which the Oregon House passed unanimously, requires school districts in the state to consider implementing a panic alarm system that includes wireless or wearable panic buttons. The legislation is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who lost her life in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2017.
Said Rep Emerson Levy, who introduced the bill:
As a mom, I know it’s essential that our kids are safe at school. From a student needing an EpiPen, to a natural disaster or man-made emergency, this legislation will give our schools, faculty, and students the resources they need to react in the little time they have and save lives. In an emergency, every second counts.
Schools across the country using the system have found that 80% of alerts are related to students experiencing allergic reactions, seizures, and heart issues. With these systems, teachers or school staff can quickly connect with Emergency Medical Services and first responders.
Levy said:
In 2023, we passed the necessary $2.5 million to get these systems set up in our schools. Now it’s time to take it a step further and encourage our schools to utilize the funds available to them to keep their campuses as safe as possible.
Said Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa Alhadeff’s mother, and founder of Make Our Schools Safe:
I want to applaud Representative Levy and the Oregon House for their swift and proactive work to make schools safe in Oregon through passing Alyssa’s Law. When this critical bill is passed through the Senate, Oregon will join seven other states in the country that have passed Alyssa’s Law, setting a standard that children should be safe and thrive in schools. Every time a panic alarm is used, I know it is Alyssa saving lives.
Panic alarms can greatly reduce response times for police in cases of violence, and they also significantly shorten the arrival time for emergency medical services during serious medical emergencies, such as anaphylaxis.
We at SnackSafely.com applaud the passing of Alyssa’s Law and encourage other states to adopt similar legislation to have their schools implement comparable alarm systems.
