Broward schools to implement emergency alert system funded by Parkland victim’s ‘law’

WLRN | By Helen Acevedo | December 19, 2024

The Broward School Board has given its approval for a new safety measure in schools: an Emergency Panic Alert system, also known as Alyssa’s Alert.

In 2020, the Florida legislature passed a measure that set aside over $6 million in recurring funds to provide the technology to install in every public school in the state a mobile panic alert system that would connect to and coordinate first responders.

The bill was passed after campaigning by Lori Alhadeff, now a Broward County School Board member, in the memory of daughter Alyssa, who was killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018.

The measure became known as Alyssa’s Law and has now been enacted in seven states. “Every time Alyssa’s Alert is pushed and a life is saved, Alyssa was part of that,” Lori told WLRN in a 2022 interview.

When the device, which is similar to a panic-button accessory, is activated, it alerts first responders to situations such as an active shooter or a health emergency.

It’s not clear when Broward will begin using this system in its schools.