Alyssa’s Law mandates new safety tools and emergency plans in Washington state schools.
MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Students returning to Washington schools may notice some new technological tools meant to make campuses safer.
Districts are required to install safety devices and emergency response plans with police under a law passed by legislators earlier this year. “Alyssa’s Law” was signed into law by Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson in May.
Under the law, districts have until Oct. 1 to inform the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction the details of their emergency plans and what devices are on campus. Districts have multiple options for improving campus security: issuing panic alarms or two-way radios to all staffers, installing remotely controlled door locks, or surveillance cameras.
Snohomish County equipped all Marysville School District staff with Motorola’s “Rave” app, allowing teachers and administrators to alert colleagues and emergency services directly from their phones during shootings, fires or medical emergencies.
At Marysville-Pilchuck High School, where four students were killed in a 2014 shooting, the optional app was downloaded by most staff, said Principal Pete Apple.
“Every school that I’ve been in has always had the buy-in of staff on safety,” Apple said. “We know our No. 1 priority is safety and a supportive learning environment, and everyone needs to be focused on that.”
Marysville-Pilchuck English teacher and yearbook advisor Nicole Burns said she feels safer with the app.
“It’s great for peace of mind. It’s great for being in the loop and understanding what any given situation is,” said Burns.
The law is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting. Alyssa’s mother, Lori Alhadeff, believes panic alarms might have saved her daughter’s life and is working to pass similar legislation nationwide.
Tumwater schools have installed high-definition, controllable cameras throughout their campuses that can track movement and be monitored remotely by both school officials and police.
“I’m able to move in, if I need to. I can move the camera side to side,” Heidi Center-Howden, principal at Michael T. Simmons Elementary, said while demonstrating how the camera works.
Some districts are going beyond the law’s requirements. Olympia schools now require visitors at all schools to enter through secured vestibules that direct them to the main office first.
