H.B. 84 establishes systems for schools to have increased safety in a range of emergency situations, like school shootings.
The bill includes Alyssa's Law, which requires Utah schools to install silent panic alarms.
Alyssa's Law is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, who died in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Officials with Make Our Schools Safe, an organization that is working to make Alyssa's Law widespread, said that Alhadeff's life could have been saved if first responders were able to be alerted sooner.
Co-founder of Make Our Schools Safe and mother to Alyssa, Lori Alhadeff, said Wednesday, "“Today, we are one step closer to ensuring the safety of students and teachers across America, and Utah is leading the way. Thanks to leaders like Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov. Henderson, Sen. Ipson Rep. Wilcox, and State Security Chief Pennington taking a proactive role in this important legislation, Utah parents and teachers can all rest a little easier.”
According to Make Our Schools Safe's website, Alyssa's Law has passed in New Jersey, Florida, New York, Texas, Tennessee and Utah. Nine other states have introduced the law.
