WEST virginia legislature

2025 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 434

By Senator Grady

[Introduced February 13, 2025; referred
to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §18-5-43, relating to creating Alyssa’s Law; requiring each public school building to be equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school security emergency; and requiring the panic alarm to be directly linked to local law-enforcement agencies designated as first responders to the school’s campus.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-5-43. Alyssa’s Law; defining terms; requiring panic alarm in each public school building.

(a) This act shall be cited as "Alyssa’s Law."

(b) As used in this section, the term:

(1) "Panic alarm" means a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device or an alternative mechanism intended to communicate a life-threatening or emergency situation that requires a response from law enforcement.

(2) "Public school building" includes all buildings on a public elementary, middle, or high school campus where instruction takes place or where students are present during the school day.

(c) Each public school building shall be equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school security emergency, including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situation. The panic alarm shall be directly linked to the local law enforcement agencies that are designated as first responders to the school’s campus and shall immediately transmit a signal or message to those authorities upon activation.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create Alyssa’s Law which requires each public school building to be equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school security emergency; and requires the panic alarm to be directly linked to local law enforcement agencies designated as first responders to the school’s campus.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.