One Broward County School Board member’s efforts to make schools safer have taken another step forward.
Inspired to get involved by her daughter’s death in the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Lori Alhadeff ran for a seat on the school board to focus on school safety and she has maintained that goal during her time in office.
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WATCH HERE"Alyssa was my daughter who was murdered at MSD High School,” Alhadeff said to the board Tuesday, holding up a picture of her daughter, as she introduced a proposal to provide physical panic buttons to all school district employees who work on a school campus. The measure passed unanimously.
The device looks like a plastic card with a button in the center, made to hang from the lanyards that teachers and staff wear.
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In Broward, it will be called "Alyssa's Alert."
Whatever the situation might be, from a medical emergency to a school fight to an active shooter, the wearer presses the button and first responders are on the way. They will know the precise location on campus and in that way, response time is saved.
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Alhadeff was asked if this system would’ve helped in the recent school shooting in Wisconsin.
“So, I don’t know all the details of what happened in Wisconsin but I do know that in any one of these situations, time is of the essence, we need to get help on the scene as quickly as possible,” she said.
Help obviously did not arrive in time at MSD High School and we all saw the horrific consequences, with Alyssa Alhadeff and 16 others murdered in cold blood.
Alhadeff was also asked if she feels like she’s honored her daughter’s legacy by her school safety efforts.
“When the tragedy happened, I always wanted Alyssa to be remembered, I wanted Alyssa to never be forgotten,” Alhadeff said. “And I know that Alyssa is watching and rooting me on, but at the end of the day I just wish Alyssa was here and I didn’t have to do this.”
Alyssa’s Law, which has been passed in Florida and six other states, provides funding for school employees to have panic buttons. In Florida, through the Safer Watch app, teachers can already use a panic button on their cell phones.
Starting in January, Broward County Public Schools employees will be getting the panic button lanyards, an additional layer of protection for teachers and students.
