EXPLAINER
Alyssa’s Law, in plain English
Last reviewed: June 2026 — the most fast-moving page on the site. Always confirm your state directly.
When an emergency starts in a school, help should be summoned the instant it’s needed — silently, and straight to the people who can respond. That’s the whole idea. Here’s what the law is, which states have it, which are moving toward it, and where to confirm your own. We’ve linked the official sources, because on something this fast-moving, your state’s status is yours to verify — not ours to be the last word on.
Where it came from
Alyssa Alhadeff was 14. She was one of seventeen people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018.
Her mother, Lori Alhadeff, founded the nonprofit Make Our Schools Safe and drove the legislation forward. New Jersey passed the first version in February 2019.
The idea is simple. Before these laws, staff facing a crisis had to call 911 by voice — describing the situation, staying on the line, often while hiding or evacuating — which costs critical minutes. A silent panic alert sends structured information (location, incident type) directly to law enforcement in seconds.
What it requires
Specifics vary by state, but the core is consistent. Most versions require public K–12 schools to put in place a silent panic alert system that:
can be triggered discreetly by staff from anywhere on campus,
connects directly to law enforcement / the local 911 dispatch center (PSAP), and
transmits real-time location with the alert.
Form factors differ — wearable badges, mobile apps, desktop alerts, or hardwired buttons. Most mandates apply to public K–12 schools; some extend to charter schools, a few permit rather than require, and private schools are generally outside the mandate (though many adopt compliant systems anyway).
A note on the count. You’ll see the number of states quoted anywhere from about six to sixteen. That’s not error — it’s definition. A strict count includes only laws titled “Alyssa’s Law”; a broad count adds functionally-equivalent silent-panic-alert laws and laws that permit rather than mandate. The lists below use the broad reading and flag the edges. Always confirm your own state directly.
States that have passed
Order tells the story — what began as one state’s response to one tragedy became a national movement.
2019 — New Jersey (first in the nation). At least one panic alarm per school building, linked directly to law enforcement.
2020 — Florida. Mobile panic alert system (“Alyssa’s Alert”) required in all public schools.
2022 — New York. Panic alarm systems addressed in district-wide safety planning.
2023 — Texas · Tennessee. Texas (SB 838) is among the most robust — silent alerts in every classroom, routed to emergency services.
2024 — Utah · Oklahoma · Louisiana. Adoption accelerates across additional states.
2025 — Georgia · Washington · Oregon. Georgia’s “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law” pairs panic alerts with school mapping data, phasing in through 2026.
2026 — Virginia (permits) · West Virginia (permits) · Illinois. Virginia and West Virginia permit school boards to provide wearable panic alarms rather than mandating them. Illinois’ Mobile Panic Alert System Act took effect January 1, 2026.
Edge cases: some trackers also count Maryland and Pennsylvania under functionally-equivalent legislation, and classifications differ on the 2026 entries. Depending on how strictly you count, the total runs from about a dozen to sixteen.
States with pending legislation
Roughly 18 additional states have introduced or are advancing bills. Commonly cited:
Alabama · Arizona · Arkansas · Massachusetts · Michigan · Mississippi · Missouri · Nebraska · Ohio · South Carolina
Kentucky — a bill passed the House but failed in the Senate.
Pennsylvania — advancing; some trackers already classify it as enacted. Verify before relying on it.
Federal
A national standard has been proposed but not enacted: the ALYSSA Act (Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in School Safety Alert Act) and the Safer Schools Act. Both have been introduced in Congress with bipartisan support.
Funding worth knowing about
Several states fund their mandates — including Texas, Utah, Georgia, and Florida — and the federal COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) can cover panic-alert technology. Availability and deadlines change every cycle; check your state’s department of education for what’s open now.
Confirm your state
This page can’t be the authority. Your state is. Requirements, deadlines, and even whether a law mandates or merely permits all vary by state. Two authoritative places to check:
Make Our Schools Safe — the campaign’s official state-by-state tracker.
Your state’s Department of Education — for the binding statute, deadlines, and approved-system specifics.
Where Share911 fits
Alyssa’s Law is the floor — a silent alert, direct to law enforcement, with location. Share911 does that, and adds what the law is reaching toward: not just a button, but two-way coordination that keeps staff and responders connected on a shared, real-time picture until the situation is resolved.
Share911 won’t make a district “compliant” on its own — confirm its PSAP routing meets your state’s specific technical requirements before relying on it for compliance. But it’s how a school turns a panic alert into a coordinated response.
Share911 supports your emergency response. It does not replace it. In an emergency, always call 911.