Alyssa’s Law Compliance
Alyssa’s Law has been approved in 5 states and is pending in another 5 with the aim of improving student safety across the US. More schools are turning to Alyssa’s Law for guidelines on building effective emergency communication systems. School admins and safety officers are becoming aware of the increasing need to establish a direct line of communication with emergency services.
With a range of IP Endpoints and customized buttons, public schools in the respective states can deploy a holistic communication system, meeting the needs of voice paging and emergency notification solutions, while adhering to Alyssa’s Law.
What is Alyssa’s Law?
Alyssa’s Law, named in memory of student Alyssa Alhadelf, is a legislation aimed to enhance school safety. Alyssa’s Law mandates that all public elementary and secondary school buildings implement panic alarms or emergency alert systems that directly alert law enforcement.
Does Your State Follow Alyssa’s Law Requirements?
Requirements for Alyssa’s Law differ from state-to-state. It’s important to understand what your school must have in place to comply with the law. The most crucial regulation for all states is the implementation of a panic button for schools and the ability to directly notify law enforcement.
To ensure the safety of your staff and students, find your state’s safety standards below.
| PASSED |
| ○ New Jersey Passed: February 6, 2019 Alyssa’s Law (A764) All New Jersey public schools are required to install silent panic alarms that will alert law enforcement during emergencies. |
| ○ Florida Passed: June 30, 2020 Alyssa’s Alert (CS/CS/SB 70) Section (s.) 1006.07(4) All Florida public schools, including charters, must implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies. |
| ○ New York Passed: June 23, 2022 Senate Bill S7132A Schools are required to consider the use of silent panic alarm systems. |
| ○ Tennessee Passed: May 10, 2023 HB0322, SB0274 School districts are required to consider adding silent panic alarms in their district-wide school safety plan. |
| ○ Texas Passed: May 5, 2023 HB204, HB669, SB838 Texas public schools and academies are required to provide a silent panic alarm technology (SPAT) emergency alert system that immediately transmits a signal or message to first responders. |
| PENDING |
| ○ Arizona Fifty-fifty Legislature 1st and 2nd Regular (HB2803, HB2683) |
| ○ Georgia O.C.G.A. (HB3101) |
| ○ Nebraska Statewide school panic button program (LB1156) |
| ○ Oregon School safety: declaring an emergency (HB3101) |
| ○ Virginia School boards: Alyssa’s law silent panic alarms (HB1125) |
Pioneering School Safety with Algo to Meet Alyssa’s Law
Student safety is the top consideration when developing an effective emergency communication system for schools. Alyssa’s Law has emerged as a critical legislative milestone in many states, mandating schools implement effective emergency response systems.
A robust system will avoid delays in response time during emergencies and will establish a more direct method of communication to alert law enforcement and emergency responders during a crisis.
With the increasing acceptance of Alyssa’s Law across the North America, it becomes imperative to strengthen school safety protocols in accordance with this legislation.
Solutions for Alyssa’s Law
Algo offers a robust and straightforward solution for establishing an emergency response system that adheres to the regulations set out by Alyssa’s Law. Algo understands the importance a school panic button can make in a life-threatening scenario.
Algo’s 1203 Call Switch deployed in combination with an Algo IP Endpoint creates a direct line of communication with local police and emergency responders. When pressed, the 1203 acts as a panic button, sending a silent signal that communicates directly with law enforcement. Algo’s panic button solution ensures school admins and safety officers can create a safe and secure education environment where both students and staff can focus on learning and growing without the fear of potential danger.
Building an Emergency Response System with any Algo Endpoint
Algo’s portfolio includes various endpoints to meet the specific needs of individual classrooms or school spaces, such as hallways, gymnasiums, and cafeterias. Administrators or safety officers may choose to deploy one of a selection of Algo IP Speakers, such as the 8188 IP Ceiling Speaker, 8190 IP Speaker – Clock, or 8410 IP Display Speaker in classrooms to establish effective communication solutions, delivering voice paging or emergency notifications. By having a panic button in each classroom, whether mounted on the wall or attached to a desk, teachers in any part of the school can instantly send an emergency signal directly to nearby authorities. Explore IP Solutions in Education below.
Configuring pre-recorded announcements
School administrators and security officers may configure specific messages to each Algo endpoint. A pre-recorded message may include details, such as the school’s name, floor number, classroom number, teacher’s name, and class size.
When answered, an example of the message local police may receive is “Emergency at West Elementary School, from Mrs. Anderson’s grade 4 class of 15 students on Floor 2, Classroom 3B.”
Such details give emergency responders a precise location of where to focus their efforts, hastening response time.
Establishing two-way talk
Certain states mandate the establishment of a communication link between emergency services and teaching staff. Algo IP Speakers include an embedded microphone that allows local police to either establish a direct line of communication with a teacher or staff member or listen into the environment to establish the level of the threat.
Features of Algo’s Panic Button
Simple connection
Implementing a safety system with Algo is easy. Algo IP Endpoints use PoE, offering a single cable to both power the device and establish a connection to the telephone system. Algo IP Endpoints include a relay input in which the 1203 Call Switch connects via a twisted pair wiring. This smart relay solution can both power and supervise the call switch.
Backlit button
Algo’s smart relay solution enables an Algo IP Endpoint to both power and supervise the call switch. Users can monitor the functionality of the 1203 from the Status page on the web interface of the IP device. The button of the 1203 is also backlit with a blue light, which also acts as a signal to users indicating that the device is being effectively powered by the IP endpoint. With Algo’s solution, students and staff can operate in their day-to-day lives feeling secure with the knowledge that the emergency response system is fully functional.
The effective implementation of an Algo emergency response system ensures the safety and security of students and staff in school environments. Algo’s ecosystem can ensure that Alyssa’s Law’s legal obligations are effectively met. This assists schools in establishing a setting where students and staff feel secure and can focus on education without fear of emergency.
Meet Additional Compliances
Algo offers solutions for administrators and security officers to achieve core compliance of Alyssa’s Law in their schools quickly and efficiently and provides additional solutions to meet specific requirements for Alyssa’s law by state.
Visual Alert System
Certain states require schools to affix emergency lights to the exterior of a public school building. This ensures high visibility above or near the front entrance, notifying all about the emergency status of the building.
Algo’s IP Visual Alerters are simple to deploy and easily configure as multicast receivers. When a silent alarm button is pressed, the connected IP endpoint sends a silent alert via SIP to emergency services while simultaneously multicasting to the Algo visual alerter, causing it to illuminate. Additional multicast capability includes transmitting audible alerts through IP speakers or showing visual messages on IP displays located throughout the school premises.
Bridge IP to Legacy
Where a school uses analog speakers and amplifiers, Algo IP Paging Adapters enable administrators to bridge IP systems to their legacy environment. The 1203 panic button can also connect to an Algo paging adapter. This connection provides the same functionality as connecting the button to a speaker. In this way, the 1203 acts as a tool to broadcast a silent alert via a SIP call from the paging adapter that directly reaches local police.
Achieve Peace of Mind
Deploying Algo in schools enables admins and safety officers to ensure the safety and security of students in their environment through the effective implementation of emergency response systems in accordance with Alyssa’s Law. Algo can help ensure each state meets the legal requirements to establish a school setting where students and staff feel safe to focus on education.
An Algo ecosystem provides effective coverage for a comprehensive safety system, tackling different aspects of school safety to ensure schools address all possible emergency situations. With a host of features, Algo endpoints offer solutions for quick and efficient responses, reducing the potential for harm.
Have questions on how you can make your environment compliant with Alyssa’s Law? Reach out to Algo support.
