Rave Panic Button
Our premier school alert app that notifies 9-1-1 and on-site staff while sharing floor plans and location data.
Key guidelines and compliant solutions for Alyssa’s Law
In a life-threatening emergency, a clear and direct line of communication is essential. Alyssa's Law mandates that schools are equipped with panic alarms to allow for immediate law enforcement response.
What is Alyssa’s Law? The story and origins
The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the deadliest high school tragedy in U.S. history, precipitated a national conversation about school safety. Seventeen people lost their lives, and another seventeen were injured.
Among the victims was 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff. In her honor, the Alhadeff family launched Make Our Schools Safe (MOSS) in 2018. Since its establishment, the national nonprofit has been dedicated to protecting students, teachers and school staff. By collaborating with lawmakers, security advisors and families, MOSS has empowered districts to shift to a culture of proactive vigilance.
MOSS has been the driving force in advocating for state and federal passage of Alyssa’s Law. This legislation is specifically designed to address critical gaps in emergency response by requiring the installation of “silent” panic alarms that directly alert law enforcement and 9-1-1 dispatch. By removing intermediary delays, the Law ensures that first responders arrive on the scene with the speed and map-based situational awareness necessary to save lives.
Key components of Alyssa’s Law
While Alyssa’s Law regulations are implemented state by state, the core goal is a silent alert that reduces incident response times while supplying enhanced data to first responders. The cornerstone of the Law mandates that public elementary and secondary school buildings be equipped with a silent panic alarm system connected to local law enforcement.
Key components of Alyssa’s Law include:
Silent activation: The school panic alarm must trigger discreetly to avoid alerting an intruder and escalating the threat.
Direct PSAP connection: Integration with Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), bypassing internal school routing when seconds count.
Verified data: Modern systems must often include live video, audio or precise location data to help first responders triage the scene effectively.
National industry standards: Systems must adhere to industry standards from organizations like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Alyssa’s law requirements for compliance
Achieving Alyssa’s Law compliance in the states where it has been implemented means embedding rapid response technology into the very foundation of your school’s security framework, including the school safety plan.
Core requirements for an Alyssa’s Law compliant emergency system include:
- Comprehensive accessibility: Every staff member should have the ability to trigger a safe alert or school alert from anywhere on campus, including gyms, outdoor areas, portable classrooms and common spaces.
- Precise location identification: Systems need to provide room-level accuracy (e.g., specific room numbers) so responders don't waste valuable time searching large campuses.
- Staff training and documentation: Regular training for employees and audit-ready records to prove system functionality for state compliance reviews and Alyssa’s Law grant inspections.
- Redundancy and integration: Deploying both physical school panic buttons and a school alert app helps to ensure that an alert can be sent even if a teacher is away from their desk. Where possible, these solutions should integrate with existing security systems like cameras and access control.
Integrated solutions for safer schools
Our ecosystem of school safety technologies helps students, teachers and staff stay protected and connected.
States impacted by Alyssa’s Law: A national overview
As of April 2026, more than a dozen states have moved to require silent alarms directly connected to law enforcement.
States that have enacted or approved legislation:
- New Jersey: The first to pass the law (2019); mandates at least one panic alarm per school building linked to local law enforcement.
- Florida (Senate Bill 70): Requires public and charter schools to implement a mobile panic alert system for real-time coordination.
- New York (Senate Bill S7132B): Authorizes school boards to include panic alarm systems in their district-wide safety plans.
- Texas (Senate Bill 838): One of the most robust versions of the Law; requires school panic alerts to emergency services, law enforcement and health departments in every classroom.
- Tennessee (House Bill 322): Requires districts to implement mobile panic alert systems that integrate with local PSAP infrastructure.
- Utah (House Bill 84): Represents some of the most comprehensive school safety and security legislation; it not only implements Alyssa’s Law but establishes a guardian program for armed security personnel, defines minimum safety standards and mandates threat reporting.
- Oklahoma (House Bill 4073): Requires a mobile panic alert system and an Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE-) approved list of vendors.
- Georgia (Ricky and Alyssa’s Law): Mandates the Alyssa’s Alert system and school mapping data by July 1, 2026.
- Washington (Senate Bill 5004): Requires districts to implement advanced response systems and report progress to the Office of Superintendent of Public Institutions (OSPI).
- Oregon (House Bill 3083): Requires districts to consider wireless or wearable panic alarms in school safety plans.
- West Virginia (House Bill 4798): Completed in March 2026; authorizes wearable panic alert systems for all school personnel and requires training on appropriate use.
- Virginia (House Bill 592): Signed into law April 2026; permits school boards to provide employees in a public elementary or secondary school building with a wearable panic alarm system.
States with pending Alyssa’s Law passage:
Lawmakers in several other states have introduced Alyssa’s Law or similar school safety measures for consideration:
- Illinois (House Bill 1705): Seeking to mandate Alyssa’s Alert systems by July 1, 2026.
- Alabama (House Bill 187): Currently in committee; would mandate mobile rapid response systems by 2030.
- California: While no state mandate exists yet, Senate Bill 848 (2026) increases the administrative burden on schools to revise their safety plans and provide annual training. This is often the precursor to a hardware mandate.
- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and Massachusetts: Each has active bills currently under consideration to mandate and fund panic alarms.
Alyssa’s Law: Proposals for a national school safety standard
To prevent a patchwork of state-level protocols, several federal proposals aim to establish a national school safety technology standard:
- Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in School Safety Alert Act: Federal legislation that would require all federally funded K-12 schools to be equipped with silent panic alert technology as a condition of local educational agency (LEA) funding.
- School Violence Prevention and Mitigation Act: Authorizes COPS (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services) grants for facility security risk assessments and hard security improvements like school panic alarm systems. The bill also aims to establish comprehensive violence prevention programs for at-risk youth.
- Ensuring Safer Schools Act: Directs federal funds toward hiring and training school resource officers and the implementation of advanced school emergency alert systems.
- Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools (7th Edition, 2025): The latest PASS guidelines recommend the unification or panic alerts with access control, video monitoring and communication systems to create a layered defense.
School funding options and grant availability
One of the most significant changes prompted by Alyssa’s Law is the surge in school funding opportunities at both the state and national level. This influx has made school safety systems more accessible than ever:
- State funding: Florida ($6.4 million recurring), Utah ($100+ million one-time) and Tennessee ($40 million one-time) have all allocated significant funds specifically for Alyssa’s law compliance.
- Federal grants: The COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) and Title IV, Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program funds remain the primary federal vehicles for upgrading compliant emergency systems.
Secure funding for your school
Maximize your funding potential. Get expert guidance to identify and obtain school security grants for your district.
- Secure funding for your school
- Connect with grant experts
- Discover safety tech covered by grants
Motorola Solutions: Alyssa’s Law-compliant products
Exceeding Alyssa’s Law mandates, Motorola Solutions provides reliable, versatile emergency response systems that staff can activate in critical moments. Our technology is designed to move beyond basic compliance by providing the situational awareness first responders need to act with precision.
Wearable Panic Button
Discreet Bluetooth® devices (badges or fobs) that transmit precise indoor locations for immediate, silent response.
TLK 25
A unified wearable combining push-to-talk with a silent panic button, perfect for maintaining safety across large campuses.
Don’t let funding be a barrier to enhancing your school’s safety. Explore our available grant resources to help your district implement the technology needed to protect your students and staff.
Alyssa’s Law FAQs
Achieving compliance requires a strategic approach. Follow these steps to prepare:
Research: Explore the various panic button systems; consult with our experts to determine which one works best.
Audit current infrastructure: Examine your existing security infrastructure to identify gaps that could impact new system reliability.
Collaborate with law enforcement: Sync your technology with local dispatch centers.
Install systems: Implement your solution and ensure functionality.
Train employees: Make sure staff is trained so they know how to operate alerts in an emergency.
Stay updated on mandates: Make sure your tech remains in compliance with the law and grant guidelines.
Funding for Alyssa's Law is determined at the state level, meaning the process and available grants vary significantly from state to state. While some states have established dedicated grant programs for compliance, many others allow districts to use broader school safety appropriations or federal pass-through grants. Our team actively monitors this complex funding landscape. We work closely with school districts to help them identify and align specific funding opportunities with their school safety goals.
Alyssa’s Law requires the implementation of panic alarm systems that directly alert law enforcement, taking away the prior protocol of calling 9-11. Voice call dispatch can come with delays, but Alyssa’s Law eliminates the need, shortening time to response significantly.
No, Alyssa’s Law is not required in every state, but is being enacted state-by-state. The requirements also differ between states, while some require physical mounted buttons, others allow mobile apps.
