Alyssa’s Law Passes in New York
New York Governor Kathy Hochul holds up the 135-page U.S. Supreme Court ruling against New York’s current concealed carry law on June 23. Courtesy of Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By Catherine Dorrough
New York has become the most recent state to pass Alyssa’s Law. On June 23, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation requiring school districts to consider the use of silent panic alarm systems when developing district-wide school safety plans.
The legislation stops short of requiring school districts to actually implement panic systems. The law reads, in part: “With the danger of mass shootings becoming more prevalent, our school districts should be required to at least weigh the possible benefits of having a panic alarm in place. Improving our schools' emergency response capabilities and, at the minimum, discussing the possibility of installing devices that will trigger a speedier response from law enforcement will go a long way toward keeping students, teachers, and staff safe in school.”
Alyssa’s Law is championed by the nonprofit group Make Our Schools Safe, founded by Lori and Ilan Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was killed during the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In addition to New York, the law has passed in New Jersey and Florida, and it has been introduced in Texas, Arizona, Nebraska, and Virginia.
Gov. Hochul signed the New York law alongside Alyssa’s parents and other members of her family.
"We will continue to take aggressive action until every child in New York is safe to pursue an education without the fear of senseless tragedy,” Gov. Hochul said at the signing. “That's why I am proud to put pen to paper on Alyssa's Law, a real and meaningful piece of legislation that will require school districts to evaluate systems that can save precious minutes – and lives – in the event of an active shooter situation."
In response to the law’s passage, Charles Dedrick, executive director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said: “The recent tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde have highlighted an ever-present concern for school superintendents: Can we ensure for our communities — and ourselves — that we are doing everything possible every day to keep our students and employees safe? We need partners from state government and law enforcement and look forward to working together to inform school district leaders about how new state laws can help us to achieve that goal."
RED FLAG LAW TAKES EFFECT
During the bill signing, Gov. Hochul also outlined plans to launch a public education campaign surrounding the state’s newly expanded Red Flag Law, which was signed on June 6 and which took effect today. The legislation expands who may file an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) petition to include health care practitioners who have examined an individual within the last six months.
According to a press release issued by the governor’s office, it also “requires police and district attorneys to file ERPO petitions when they have acquired credible information that an individual is likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm – either to themselves or others. It requires State Police and the Municipal Police Training Council to create and disseminate policies and procedures to identify when an ERPO petition may be warranted.”