Lawmakers take steps to pass Alyssa's Law to increase safety during school shootings
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — An estimated 80 to 90 percent of the world's school shootings happen in the United States, and Illinois faces the fourth most out of all the states, ranked only behind California, Texas and Florida.
The K-12 School Shooting Database, which compiles data every time a firearm is discharged on school grounds, found that Illinois has had 152 shooting incidents since 1966.
State lawmakers are working to change that by taking a measure to increase safety in schools during a school shooting. Rep. Janet Yang Rohr introduced a bill, also known as Alyssa's Law.
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This would require all public schools, including charter schools, to have a mobile panic alert system. This is a silent alarm that would allow teachers to contact and connect in real time with emergency services within seconds.
Rep. Yang Rohr, who is a mother of three, said nowadays families can't stop thinking about the unimaginable.
'The reality of the day for parents is that even as we send our children to school every single day, there are moments when we have to confront the reality and think the unthinkable,' Yang Rohr said. 'We do not get a second chance when it comes to saving lives, and passing Alyssa's Law is one of the concrete steps that we can take to turn that.'
The bill is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Her mother, Lori, shared her story in a news conference and said her daughter is no longer here, but passing the law in the state will save many more lives.
'In the Apalachee shooting, the panic button was used. The teacher saw the shooter and started pressing their panic button and was able to get on the scene to help the people that were shot,' Lori said. 'All those students lived because we were able to get help faster. Time equals life, and we know the faster we can get help on the scene, the more lives we will help to save.'
Alyssa was shot while in her English classroom. She survived the first shot, and then while trying to escape before help arrived, the shooter killed her two other friends and then killed Alyssa. An autopsy confirmed she was shot eight times. Three staff members and 13 other students also lost their lives in the school shooting.
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Now, Lori and her husband have turned their pain into action by starting a non-profit that funds school safety projects. They are going around the state to urge lawmakers to implement Alyssa's Law in their schools.
Currently, seven states have adopted Alyssa's Law. Two states—Washington and Georgia— also have a bill on their governors' desks waiting to be signed.
Under the bill, the State Board of Education will be in charge of the implementation and purchases of the system that all school districts can use.
The bill has been re-referred to the Rules Committee. If the bill passes, it will take effect in January 2026.
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