CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The House Education Committee began discussion Wednesday on legislation that would require a wearable panic alert system, known as Alyssa’s Law, in schools across all 55 counties.
House Bill 4798 would require all teachers to wear a mobile alert button for emergency situations.
Some districts, including Jackson County Schools, are already piloting the alert buttons.
Jackson County Schools Superintendent Will Hosaflook, who also leads the county school superintendents’ association, spoke before the committee Wednesday.
Hosaflook said pressing the button three times signals a medical emergency or altercation. Repeated presses trigger a full school lockdown, activating the intercoms and strobe lights.
He said this extends the safety measures for the schools.
“That’s what’s very, very important because up until this point in Jackson County, we have about two or three code red buttons, and in most schools across the state two or three lock down code red buttons in our schools, this gives every single employee the chance to put the school in lockdown if they are on school property,” Hosaflook said.
The bill would also require the mobile alert buttons to integrate with local public safety answering points, allowing them to transmit 911 calls and alerts.
Hosaflook said pressing the button, especially for a medical alert, provides responders with the exact location of the incident.
“It gives the exact locations, if I’m in my office and I hit this thing three times, it says emergency in superintendent’s office, so everything is programmed mapped in, from whatever company we use to map our buildings,” he said.
Hosaflook urged the committee to pass the legislation and invited members to see the button in action.
“This is a need, not only in Jackson County, but everywhere in the state of West Virginia,” Hosaflook said. “I also urge this committee to reach out to me about, 18 miles down the road, at Kenna Elementary you can come and witness it firsthand.”
Committee Chairman Joe Statler said he supports the bill but expressed concern about future funding.
“I understand people want it, I have no issue with it whatsoever, but I want everyone to understand there could be a cost with it coming down the road, so I don’t catch anybody in a trap that I don’t know the state whether they will or won’t fund it, so we’ll look into that possibility,” Statler said.
The bill was advanced to markup discussion.