House agrees to expanded school‑safety bill requiring panic alerts, threat assessments and mental‑health specialists

The House agreed to the Senate substitute of House Bill 268, enlarging a school‑safety package that lawmakers said was prompted by the Apalachee school shooting and other recent incidents. Representative Persinger, carrying the bill, said the substitute incorporates ‘‘Alyssa’s Law’’ requiring mobile panic‑alert systems and requires digital mapping data to be shared with state and local emergency responders.

The bill also requires school systems to adopt threat‑assessment plans — multidisciplinary procedures to identify and mitigate threats — and establishes a grant program to fund “qualified student advocacy specialists” (behavioral‑health coordinators) for districts based on student population. Persinger said smaller districts could receive one grant‑funded coordinator while larger districts would be eligible for more.

Members asked implementation questions on timing and funding. Representative Roberts asked whether mapping requirements (described in debate as already present in many safety plans) had dedicated funding; the sponsor said mapping was largely already in place and the bill codifies and standardizes mapping and alert requirements. Representatives asked for specifics: how many coordinators per district, the July 2026 mapping deadline and whether alert badges would be deployed to staff. Persinger and supporters said grants in the budget would fund the positions and that alert devices are envisioned for school staff, similar to panic badges used at the Capitol.

The House adopted the Senate substitute on a roll call vote, the clerk announced the tally: yeas 154, nays 12. Sponsors described the bill as a combination of technology, procedures and mental‑health resources intended to improve early detection and response to school threats; advocates and some members said implementation funding and timelines will require follow‑up work.