SALEM, Ore.-The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on March 25 that would require school districts in the state to consider installing panic alarms as a safety measure.
House Bill 3083, known as “Alyssa’s Law” in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a student who was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2017, was introduced by Rep. Emerson Levy, (D-Central Oregon).
“From a student needing an EpiPen to a natural disaster or man-made emergency, this legislation will give our schools, faculty and students the resources they need to react in the little time they have and save lives,” said Rep. Levy.
Under the proposed legislation teachers or school staff with wireless or wearable panic alarms would be able to instantly connect with Emergency Medical Services and first responders.
Seven states have already passed “Alyssa’s Law” and Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s mother, attended a recent public hearing on HB3038 in the Oregon House Committee on Education.
“In 2023, we passed the necessary $2.5 million to get these systems set up in our schools,” Rep. Levy said. “Now it’s time to take it a step further and encourage our schools to utilize the funds available to them to keep their campuses as safe as possible.”
Funding for mobile panic alarms is available to school districts through the Oregon Department of Education’s School Safety and Emergency Management Program.
Districts can apply for Wireless Panic Alarm Grants, and if approved for funding will be reimbursed $2,000 for every school in their district.
Locally the Umatilla School District currently utilizes panic buttons, with the district releasing the following statement as part of an incident update in Sept. 2024:
“In addition to standard response protocols and drills in place in all Oregon schools, Umatilla schools also have panic buttons throughout the building and on many staff which provide location information to the offices and police as well as camera views for law enforcement action.”
A link to the Wireless Panic Alarm Grant application is available through the ODE. HB3038 will now be considered by the Oregon State Senate, however, no meetings or floor sessions on the bill are currently scheduled.
“The panic alarms encouraged by this common-sense bill will save student lives and help our first-responders, allowing them to respond quickly and effectively in emergency situations,” said Rep. April Dobson, (D-Happy Valley).
