The Alyssa Law would take effect in June 2023 and require public and charter schools to implement silent panic technology in response to the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
AUSTIN, Texas — Apalachee High School in Georgia has begun using panic alert badges.
In the mass school shooting that left two students and two teachers dead on Wednesday, police officials say the technology helped them arrive at the school and arrest the suspect just six minutes after the teacher used the device.
Texas schools may soon be adopting silent panic techniques similar to those used in Apalachee.
Alyssa’s Law goes into effect in June 2023. The law will require all public and charter schools in Texas to install silent panic alarms in classrooms starting next school year.
The bill is named after a student who was killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting.
Lockhart Independent School District implemented the new system in February of this year.
“It lets us know what’s going on in the classroom so we can respond,” Bluebonnet Elementary School Principal Emily Marshall said, pointing to a computer screen showing live camera footage of a classroom where a teacher had pressed a silent panic alarm.
Lockhart Independent School District Superintendent Mark Estrada calls the device a breakthrough, even though it’s called the “Safe System.”
“As soon as someone hits the silent alarm, we get a notification here,” Estrada explained, standing in the administrator’s office. “It tells us where the alarm went off, which classroom, which hallway.”
All staff members wear silent panic alarms around their necks. If anyone needs help or an emergency occurs, our safety team is contacted via text and an alarm that can only be heard in the front office is sounded.
“We immediately have access to the real-time cameras that are in those classrooms, and police can see what’s going on in the classroom,” Estrada said.
But it’s not the safety technology upgrade they were hoping for, he says.
“Unfortunately, in today’s culture, it’s something that every school should have and I wish that wasn’t the case,” Estrada said.
He said students and staff have a right to feel safe, which is why they have put in place a safety system that complies with Alyssa’s Law.
Estrada reiterated that the Safe System is the same technology used during this week’s Apalachee High School shooting.
“I think this technology is critical,” Estrada said. “Parents are entrusting us with the most precious gift: their children. So when they come to school, we have to do everything we can to find the best technology, regardless of the cost, to keep everyone safe.”
Moe Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said school safety technology has evolved significantly.
“Right now we’re moving from metal detectors to a full weapons detection system,” Canady said.
Canady, an SRO with 20 years of experience, said technology is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
“We must never forget the human element that has to happen and the fundamental security and safety issues that still need to be addressed,” Canady said.
He said keeping schools safe requires collaboration, education and communication between teachers, staff, SROs and now technology.
Canady says that’s exactly what happened in Georgia this week.
“There can be no victory here because lives were lost and lives have been changed forever, but we are thankful that other elements were in place,” Canady explained, “There’s no telling how many lives could have been saved by the combination of those elements of school safety.”
On Monday, Lockhart Independent School District will host 15 school officials from around the state to learn about Safe Systems technology.
