GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — On Valentine’s Day it will be seven years since the Parkland school shooting.
Since then, one family who lost their child that day has advocated for the use of mobile panic alert systems in schools.
The Make Our Schools Safe non-profit is on a mission to get every state to pass a version of Alyssa’s Law.
Now lawmakers in Michigan are proposing legislation that aligns with Alyssa’s Law to require all Michigan schools to have a mobile panic alert system in place.
They’re trying to get this in every school district in America just as an added safety measure.
Senate Bill 76 would require schools to add the systems, and Senate Bill 77 would amend the state school aid budget, so it’s not an unfunded mandate.
“It’s a temporary number, but we allocated $6.7 million because that’s what it costs to implement in Florida,” explained Sen. John Damoose.
Sen. Damoose explained the technology exists already for the mobile panic alert and that lots of school districts across the country have already implemented it. Right now, Michigan’s proposed legislation doesn’t specify which mobile system for schools to use. Some schools use apps like School Guard and RAVE Security.
“It begins communication between 911, the person who’s reported the threat, school administrators, first responders, and it brings the whole team together immediately there,” explained Sen. Damoose.
Local law enforcement agencies and dispatchers told UpNorthLive without knowing what specific system is going in place, it’s hard to say exactly how it will help, but they did emphasize that time equals life in an emergency situation.
“If it has the ability to provide real-time information that’s specific and it’s clear, it could be something that’s really good,” said Capt. Brandon Brinks with the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office. “When a critical incident happens at a venue with a lot of people, cell phones don’t always work efficiently. Calls can’t get through because systems get overloaded. I don’t know enough about this system, to comment specifically, but if that system allows clear communication without interruption, I would certainly support that if my family was in that school.”
Seven states have already passed Alyssa’s Law. Including: Utah, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, New York and New Jersey.
