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National School Safety Push Three Years After Parkland Shooting Where 17 Were Murdered

ALYSSA'S Act Announced, Bipartisan Nationwide School Safety Legislation, Honoring the Parkland Shooting’s Third Anniversary

Bill named in memory of North Jersey native Alyssa Alhadeff - Alhadeff family joins U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer to announce bipartisan legislation.  Requires panic alarms in all public schools & increases access to School Resource Officers.  Pictured below, stones with the victims names to memorialize the tragedy at the Parkland Shooting.

February 12, 2021, 6:28 pm 

Only 29% of schools report using panic alarms directly connected to local law enforcement.  (And most connect to call centers, NOT to police dispatch directly).

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Today, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined the parents of Alyssa Alhadeff — a North Jersey native who lost her life in the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, three years ago — to announce the bipartisan Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in School Safety Alert Act (the ALYSSA Act).

The ALYSSA Act is bipartisan federal legislation to require silent panic alarms in all schools to immediately alert law enforcement of an active shooter situation. The bill will also increase investment in more well-trained School Resource Officers, to help protect students and faculty.  
The Alhadeff family originally lived in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, in the Fifth Congressional District, before moving to Parkland, FL.

“We are here today to honor Alyssa and turn her memory, and the pain her family and friends carry every day, into action. We are here to announce bipartisan legislation — the ALYSSA Act — to help protect children, like Alyssa, and all students, in the one public place they should feel safest: their schools,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “Together, with silent alarms in every school directly connected to local law enforcement agencies and with School Resource Officers at more schools around the country, we are taking concrete steps to help further protect our children in their schools.”

“In a life threatening emergency situation, seconds count. The ALYSSA Act will save lives by empowering our teachers to push a button that is directly linked to law enforcement. The ALYSSA Act needs to be an equitable, standard level of school safety protection in every school around the country. This is a movement and together we will Make Our Schools Safe!” said Lori Alhadeff, the mother of Alyssa Alhadeff and co-founder of Make Our Schools Safe.

Parkland did not have the alarms.

Today’s announcement of the ALYSSA Act will bring that requirement to all 98,000 public schools nationwide, and will cut federal red-tape to create specially-designated investment in bringing trained School Resource Officers to more schools.  According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, only 29% of schools report using silent alarms that are directly connected to local law enforcement.

The bipartisan Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in Schools Safety Alert Act (the ALYSSA Act) includes the following provisions:

• Provision I — Panic Alarms  
  This bill will bring the same requirements enshrined in New Jersey’s Alyssa’s Law to all public schools nationwide.  There are more than 98,000 public schools in the United States and, under this legislation, all that receive federal funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will be required to install panic alarms.  These alarms are utilized by schools in the case of an emergency such as a lockdown or active-shooter situation. When activated, the alarms can remain silent in the building and alert local law enforcement to the emergency via a signal or message.
  
  
• Provision II — School Resources Officers
  Going a step further, this bill will also ensure every school has access to School Resource Officers (SROs).  This legislation will cut federal red-tape to provide for specially-designated investment in bringing trained SROs to all schools, without having to meet additional complicated and changing standards from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Even More Florida Push - Florida Legislature to Take Up New School Safety Legislation

State Rep. Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs, and state Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, are partnering on legislation called the “Parents Need to Know” act.  That proposal (HB 951) would require schools to notify parents and staff within 24 hours of threats or violence on campus, along with what action was taken. The reports would be anonymous without identifying information. The legislation also creates a hotline and online system for parents to report issues.

What School Administrators Need to Do Now

It took a horrific tragedy on Valentines Day 2018 in Parkland Florida to wake us up.  The Parkland massacre shattered the mainstream thinking that mass shooting violence won't happen in "nice neighborhoods" or "neighborhoods of affluence".  Parkland reminded the world that violence is non-discriminate and can happen anywhere.  Parkland reminded us that active shooters don't consider how safe we feel in our communities.  Parkland woke up a nation to an epidemic that has been plaguing the United States for decades.

The bear has finally been provoked into action.  Legislators across the country are finally taking action to protect our schools, sacred places where our children DESERVE to feel safe.  

FLORIDA ADMINSTRATORS

Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, school staff at each Florida public school, including charter schools, will be required to activate a mobile panic alert system, known as “Alyssa’s Alert, Alyssa’s Law” that:

• Integrates a mobile panic alert system that may be used by each school district.
• Connects diverse emergency services technologies.
• Ensures real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies.
• Integrates with local public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations.
• Alerts appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the jurisdiction of the location of the device.
• Is customizable for each district, and charter school governing board to be able to adhere to local emergency codes, emergency naming conventions, update facility profiles, customize messaging, manage users and user access permissions.
• Provides real-time activation of the appropriate 911 system and provides at a minimum the emergency information details, location of the device, and unique identifiers of the device.
• Provides two-way communications.
• Can be silenced by the user.
• Adheres to the county’s text-to-911 service implementation plans as required by Florida Statutes s. 365.172 (15), F.S.
• Allows and supports districts to designate and manage user permissions and user groups for notification of a panic alert activation, including users at public safety agencies, as defined in s. 365.171, F.S.
• Provides districts admin access to provide additional campus or facility information through the system.
• Addresses all other requirements included within s. 365.171-179, F.S.– Emergency Communications Number “E911” and applicable State 911 administrative rules (60FF-6)
• Provides 24/7 level one tech support to state and local administrators.
• Adheres to 99.999% uptime reliability/availability. 
• Ensures regular system updates are performed to include integration of 911 center updates as applicable.
• Connects to both Wi-Fi and cellular.
• Is compliant with all applicable privacy protection and information security state and federal laws .
• 911 centers as well as state and local administrators must be notified prior to executing system tests.
• Contractor(s) shall address system bugs and apply fixes in a reasonable timeframe.
• DATA SECURITY The Contractor agrees to protect and maintain the security of data by adhering to Florida Cyber Security Standards (Chapter 60GG-2, F.A.C.) to include maintaining secure environments that are patched and up to date with all appropriate security updates as designated by a relevant authority. In situations where Contractor(s) will be collecting and/or storing personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), financial or other sensitive data, a Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II report shall be made available upon request.

PLEASE MAKE CERTAIN that any potential vendor you select can adequately comply with the requirements of Alyssa's Law.  Avoiding sub-par solutions will save your organization valuable time and money.  ASR Alert Systems is fully compliant with Alyssa's Law.

To read the entire legislation CLICK HERE

ADMINSTRATORS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

As the newly announced ALYSSA ACT gains steam, it is important that ALL school administrators across the United States begin to think about preparation.  While rollout will span over some time, it is inevitable that your school will be required to comply with the Alyssa Act at some point in the near future.  Now is the time for your budgetary committees and planning boards to start the process of preparation for your school.  With a National Legislation push, the requirements will roll out to the country in unison, which may certainly cause installation delays for those who wait until the last-minute.  The process can also open the market up to sub-par solutions which could serve as a potential liability for schools.  Due diligence is a must, so make certain that you investigate and select a proven and reputable solution for the protection of your school.

Being involved with school safety is on every parents mind.  You can help to make certain that YOUR SCHOOL is implementing this life-saving critical incident response technology by encouraging your school's decision makers  to reach out to us to schedule a free demonstration.

What Makes ASR Alert Systems Different?

ASR’s Critical Incident Response Technology is an innovative, patented, and disruptive technology unlike anything most people have ever seen. Our unique approach focuses specifically on accelerating notification time to and expedited response from law enforcement and crisis first responders.

Our patented technology has no market equivalent, so it is imperative that you understand the value that the product offers and how the technology provides a unique perspective aimed specifically toward the needs of those responding to the crisis and ease of use for those threatened during a crisis.

ASR completely skips the normal 9-1-1 system allowing immediate communication to police dispatch without delay. The system is engaged with the simple push of a button which eliminates the need for fine-motor skills of those under attack. Once engaged, the system immediately communicates the life-saving information first responders need (who, what, when, and where) to do their jobs at a highly efficient level and thus saving lives.  To learn more about the different types of systems that ASR offers, CLICK HERE.

• Learn how the ASR technology meets and exceeds Alyssa's Law Standards
• Learn how ASR can integrate with your current systems.
• Learn why ASR is the premium critical incident response technology needed in your school at an affordable price.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Today we honor Alyssa Alhadeff, who was shot ten times in the Parkland Shooting in her English classroom.  Alyssa was a soccer player who wore the #8, a writer, a leader, a motivator and an all American Girl! 

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