CHARLESTON — The West Virginia House of Delegates has joined the state Senate in moving forward with legislation requiring all public schools, including charter schools, to implement a wearable panic alarm system for staff members.
The proposed House bill, HB 2394, was approved without debate by the House Education Committee on Tuesday and now moves to the House Finance Committee. Meanwhile, the Senate version, SB 434, has advanced out of the Senate Education Committee and is currently under review by Senate Finance.
Both bills mandate that each school employee be trained to wear and use the alarm, which would be directly linked to the local emergency alert system. This connection would allow immediate 911 transmission, mobile activation, and campus-wide lockdown notifications in case of an emergency. Additionally, local law enforcement agencies would be granted access to campus security data, including surveillance footage, building maps, and access controls.
The legislation, known as Alyssa’s Law, is named in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who was among the 17 victims of the tragic mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. The initiative was spearheaded by Alyssa’s mother, Lori Alhadeff, who founded Make Our Schools Safe, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing school security measures.
Alyssa’s Law has already been enacted in seven states and is under consideration in 20 others, including West Virginia. The law is designed to reduce emergency response times by equipping schools with silent panic alarms that are directly connected to law enforcement, ensuring a rapid response to any life-threatening situation.
According to a fiscal note attached to the Senate bill, the West Virginia Department of Education estimates an initial cost of $8,400 per school for the alarm system’s installation, with an annual maintenance and monitoring fee of $1,600 per school.
As the bills progress through the legislature, supporters emphasize that improving response times during emergencies could save lives and enhance overall school safety.
