Alyssa Alhadeff was 14 years old the last time she stepped into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. That day, a gunman opened fire in the school while police unknowingly watched surveillance video on a 20-minute delay. The fire alarm system overrode the delayed “code red” emergency warning, sending students and teachers the wrong message: to run outside rather than huddle in the classroom. As students ran, the shooter murdered 17 students and faculty, never once stepping in a classroom, and soon after snuck out of the school, went to Walmart and bought a soda.

The emergency response was a failure. The mismanagement of this tragic event taught our country a very important lesson: time equals life.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri from Pinellas County, Florida, noted, “There could have been a serious mitigation of this if people had been notified and had an opportunity to react.” The same was true in Uvalde, Texas, as portrayed by the House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting in the Texas House of Representatives Interim Report, “If the alert had reached more teachers sooner, it is likely that more could have been done to protect them and their students.”

We know it doesn’t have to be like this. That’s why I have introduced House Bill 3101, also known as Alyssa’s Law. Alyssa’s Law permits schools to have a mobile-based silent panic alarm. It would be an important tool in our toolbox, and I’m working tirelessly to bring this to our K-12 schools in Oregon.

Alyssa’s Law, if passed, will give schools, faculty and students the resources they need to react in the little time they have and save lives.

The mobile based emergency system is not limited to increasing response time in the worst case scenario. Schools around the country that utilize the system found that 80% of alerts have been utilized for students having allergic reactions, seizures and heart issues. Through the mobile based app, the teacher or school staff can immediately connect to Emergency Medical Services. If an emergency happens in the hallway, the service can also send a custom message to alert teachers and students to stay in the classroom.

As a program, Alyssa’s Law costs around $1,300 dollars per school, dramatically more cost effective than hardwiring stationary panic buttons, more accessible and can be custom tailored to the school’s needs. Teachers and staff are not mandated to have the app on their phones. It is an opt-in feature; however, all teachers and staff receive safety messages regardless of participation in the program.

Recently, House Bill 3101 was sent to the Education Committee, where it will have a public hearing on Monday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. If you are interested in submitting testimony in support of the bill, you can visit www.tinyurl.com/howtotestifyOR or you can go directly to the bill’s page at www.tinyurl.com/AlyssasLawOR and click “Register to Testify.”

As a mom of a student in our schools, community member and as a state representative, school safety is personal to me. I know that it’s personal to you, too. If you have any questions about the bill, please reach out to my office by emailing Rep.EmersonLevy@OregonLegislature.gov or in-person at the Oregon State Capitol building, 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301, Office H-486.

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