Supporters press Washington lawmakers to add panic-button option under Alyssa’s Law

Supporters of Alyssa’s Law urged Washington lawmakers on Friday to adopt a proposal that would require school districts to include at least one campus-protection option — for example, panic buttons, key-card entry or fencing — as part of their annual emergency-preparedness report to OSP.

Kathy (identified only by first name in the transcript), who introduced the bill during a press briefing, described Senate Bill 5004 as a “menu” approach that encourages districts to adopt feasible measures. “So it’s an or, not a must,” she said, adding the bill would not require the state to buy devices and that districts could use portions of their existing annual emergency-preparedness funding to implement systems.

The bill’s most prominent advocate at the briefing was Lori Alhadeff, the mother of Alyssa, who was 14 when she was killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. Alhadeff described texting her daughter during the attack and urged passage of the law so schools can trigger rapid, mass notification and triage when emergencies occur. “Time equals life,” she said, and argued a panic button and mass-notification system could have sped first-response in her daughter’s classroom.

Alhadeff said Alyssa’s Law has passed in seven other states — New Jersey, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Utah and Florida — and said she believes every activation of a panic system has saved lives. At the briefing, Kathy noted that Senate Bill 5004 “passed off the Senate floor unanimously.”

A student speaker, Leonor Lopez Costa, a senior at Lake Washington High School, told the gathering her school does not currently have panic buttons and said she would like to see emergency systems expanded. “Safety is the utmost concern,” she said, adding that when safety is at risk a student’s ability to learn is diminished.

Supporters emphasized the bill is not intended as an unfunded state mandate but as guidance and an option districts could adopt using existing funds. Kathy said about half of districts already have panic-button systems, though some implementations are incomplete or systems need replacement.

The press briefing combined personal testimony from a survivor’s family member and local student voices with a sponsor’s explanation of the bill’s technical approach. Supporters framed the measure as a layered safety step — complementary to existing alarms and other protocols — aimed at reducing delays in emergency response and mitigating long-term community harm following a mass-casualty event.

The session closed after brief remarks and thanks; supporters left the legislative process update that Kathy provided — namely, that SB 5004 passed the Senate floor unanimously — as the most recent procedural development.