According to CNN, there were 83 recorded incidents of gun violence in American schools in 2024. And Education Week counts 39 of those as school shootings that caused injury or death.

Although these numbers aren’t pleasant to hear, they’re crucial to know. That’s because understanding the danger of shootings in schools helps us to prepare and protect ourselves.

What can education departments do to reduce the risks associated with school shootings?

Alyssa’s Law presents one important step that’s being taken by more and more school districts across the USA.

In this article, we’ll discuss how the measures in Alyssa’s Law make a difference when it comes to safety in schools.

What is Alyssa’s Law?

In 2018, Alyssa Alhadeff was one of the 17 people who died in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Her family has asked states to implement “Alyssa’s Law,” which would require school districts to provide silent panic alarms for use during a school shooting or other emergency. The alarms would contact law enforcement directly so that help can come as soon as possible.

Why silent alarms? It’s partly because the first people who were aware of the Parkland shooter did not contact emergency services or start a lockdown. It seems that staff might not have known who was allowed to call for a lockdown at the school, and perhaps they felt unsure about whose responsibility it was to call for help from law enforcement.

What’s more, 911 calls that came from cell phones were directed to a dispatch center that was too far away.

Alyssa’s parents believe that if the response to the shooting had been faster and better coordinated, lives could have been saved. They feel that having a silent alarm connected directly to law enforcement would prevent delays with calling for help and calls that weren’t getting where they needed to go.

Adoption of Alyssa’s Law

Alyssa’s law has passed in seven states – New Jersey, Florida, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Oklahoma,

It’s also been introduced in numerous other states and at the federal level.

How would an Alyssa’s Law panic alarm make a difference?

To do its job, a panic alarm purchased to fulfil Alyssa’s Law would need several essential features.

Wearability

The panic alarm would need to be wearable, so that it’s with the teacher or school resource officer at all times. This would prevent a situation where the alarm was unreachable because it was left behind in an office.

SOS button

Explaining an emergency over cell phones and radios takes up precious seconds and minutes. Even dialing a cell phone takes time.

A panic alarm for Alyssa’s Law should have a single button that needs to be pressed to call for help. It could also be configured so that one press and a double press trigger different alerts or responses.

There’s another reason why the button is so important, too. It makes calling for help easy when the alarm wearer isn’t sure whether they’re meant to raise the alarm, which is what some say happened in Parkland. There’s less room for doubt when you don’t need to make a phone call – you just have to press a button. And wearing the panic alarm reminds the wearer that they are responsible for calling for help.

Direct connection to law enforcement

It’s clear that schools need a direct connection to the right law enforcement center. Where cell phones and radios have been unreliable in the past, an alert button will immediately send a message about the emergency right where it needs to go – and where law enforcement is prepared to appropriately respond.

A benefit of a silent alarm designed especially for schools would be that it could connect to wherever school or district management feel is best. If the school has resource officers, management could decide that the alarm would alert them. Or if the school decides a police department should be alerted, that connection could be made too.

Silent alarm

Another risk factor involved in using cell phones and radios is that the intruder can hear you as you speak. This increases danger to the person calling for help – and means they may not be able to finish their message. In fact, a teacher trying to call for help with this method in a classroom might actually attract harm to more children.

What’s needed is a silent alarm. With this type of panic alarm, there is no outward sign that the alarm has been set off. Ideally, the intruder wouldn’t even notice that the alarm has been set off.

This allows law enforcement the crucial element of surprise as they enter the building and try to take down the threat.

GPS tracking

Another helpful feature for the alarm could be GPS tracking.

A further issue during the Parkland shooting was that law enforcement did not know where the shooter was or even when he had left the campus. The school’s security camera displays were on a delay, and radio problems among responders made it difficult to share information about the shooter’s location.

A silent panic alarm with GPS tracking could help law enforcement to understand exactly where the shooter was. At Parkland, better awareness of the shooter’s position could have saved lives.

Moreover, a mobile alarm that works with GPS should work outside of the school too. The Parkland shooter was actually first spotted as he was entering the school grounds. So, any panic alarm for schools shouldn’t be limited to only working within the school.

Expert alarm protection from SureSafe

At SureSafe, we have over ten years of expertise in providing reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use personal alarm devices. We know how important alarms can be in the most crucial moments – which is why we’re a leading provider of panic buttons and alarms.

SureSafe is currently reviewing our device specifications to craft an alarm that suits all the needs of a school setting. If you’re interested in silent panic alarms to provide protection for your school, get in touch with us. We’re here to help.

To speak to us, you can fill in our contact form or call our helpline at 888 540 7193. You can also email us at [email protected], use our live chat or request a call back.