By staff reports OKLAHOMA CITY– Beginning with the 20242025 school year, each school district in the state will be required to implement a mobile panic alert system.
The act, introduced by Rep. Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston), was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on June 14. It was the last day Stitt could approve bills sent to his desk.
“Alyssa’s Law” is named after a 14-year-old student in Parkland, Florida, who was a victim of a school shooter in 2018, according to a legislative press release. Alyssa Alhadeff was one of 17 people killed.
Key features of the new law include:
• Real-time coordination: The mobile panic alert system will connect emergency service technologies to ensure real-time coordination among multiple first responder agencies.
• Enhanced 911 integration: The system will integrate with public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations, providing immediate alerts to designated school personnel.
• Comprehensive emergency response: Emergency responders will receive vital information such as floor plans and caller location to assist during emergencies, ensuring a prompt and efficient response.
“We’ve prioritized school safety over the past couple of years, and Alyssa’s Law ties school security together by coordinating our schools and law enforcement,” Wallace said in the press release. “The most secure buildings have vulnerabilities when communication isn’t clear.”
Schools will have choice and free market competition for school mobile panic button systems. The State Board of Education will be required to compile a list of approved systems that meet rigorous standards.
Those standards include: • Automatically alert designated school personnel during an emergency initiated by smartphone application, phone call, text message or other technology.
• Provide emergency responders with critical situational information during a 911 call.
• Integrate designated school personnel with emergency responders for real-time situational updates.
Schools will be able to access existing funding under the “School Security Revolving Fund.” The state Legislature has invested $50 million a year for the revolving fund and will support the mobile panic alert systems, the press release said.