Alyssa’s Law experienced a major victory in Tallahassee yesterday. After unanimous approval in the Senate last Thursday, the House gave its final nod of approval last night, with slight adjustments to the wording in the bill.

The bill, presented to the House by Democratic Rep. Michael Gottlieb of Davie, was amended to remove the word “interoperable” in order to improve the readability, although it maintains its initial objective, to implement mobile panic systems in schools in hopes of major improvements to emergency response times.

The amendment also gives school districts more flexibility regarding how a panic system is implemented. This allows some districts that may already have an efficient alert system in place to continue using what works for them so long as it meets the minimum standards, while extending use of the system that will be contracted by the Department of Education for widespread use.

While the exact system that will be used statewide is still to be determined and perhaps developed, the mission of the bill to make Florida schools safer is one step closer to actualization.

Make Our Schools Safe co-founder, Lori Alhadeff, expressed her elation for the passage of her daughter’s namesake bill.

“The only thing that would make me happier is to have Alyssa with us. I know she is with me in spirit as I fight for the safety and security of all students and teachers in Florida.”

 

 

So what happens now?

Alyssa’s Law will now be carried back to the Senate by Plantation Democrat, Sen. Lauren Book who initially introduced the bill in the Senate, to agree on the updates made by the House. Once the Senate has approved the amendments proposed by the House, the bill will be ready for signing by Governor Ron DeSantis and slated to take effect in all public and charter schools for the 2021 school year.

Supported in the House by both Rep. Gottlieb and Rep. Dan Daley of Coral Springs, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas alumnus, Alyssa’s Law is granting Parkland and schools throughout Florida the protection they need to guard against any future on-campus threats.

There’s just one final signature needed to pass Alyssa’s Law throughout the great state of Florida, which comes just under a month following the 2-year anniversary to the tragic shooting that spawned the bill.