'Alyssa Is Saving Lives:' Oklahoma Law Inspired By Parents Of Parkland School Shooting Victim

Oklahoma became the seventh state to pass Alyssa’s law, named after one of the victims of the Parkland school shooting.

The new law calls for the installation of silent panic alarms that are directly linked to law enforcement, so in case of any emergency, they will get on the scene as quickly as possible, take down a threat, and triage any victims.

“We say that time equals life,” said Lori Alhadeff. “Our daughter Alyssa was one of the victims unfortunately that was murdered that day along with 16 others.”

Alyssa’s parents say they still remember the moments of the shooting and hope that no other parents have to endure that pain.

“On that horrific day when our daughter Alyssa was in her English classroom, all I kept thinking about was that help was on the way, that Alyssa was shot but she was being taken to the hospital, so I know that this panic button, Alyssa’s law is a life-saving law,” said Lori.

Alyssa’s parents, Lori and Ilan Alhadeff, are working to get the law passed nationwide. They traveled to Oklahoma today to celebrate the passage. 

“We're focused on passing Alyssa's law nationwide as a standard level school safety protection,” said Lori.

Governor Kevin Stitt celebrated the ceremonial signing of the law, beside the Alhadeffs. Stitt says he wants to do what he can to keep Oklahoma students safe.

Meanwhile, many schools across the state have already implemented these security systems.

“Safety is always our number one concern,” said AJ Graffeo, with Putnam City School District.

Putnam City uses the RAVE panic alert app, along with a hardwired system that is monitored by their onsite law enforcement staff 24/7.

“Having a dedicated app like this that is wireless that has hardly any setup just makes school safety just that much better, if something were to happen,” said Graffeo.

The panic alert systems allow teachers or students to just press a button in an emergency and immediately send a mass notification to law enforcement and staff on site. 

“If something were to happen day or night, our security system is activated, they can easily just click the threat assessment button and it immediately pulls it all up,” said Graffeo.

The Alhadeffs are hoping to continue their mission across the nation, to get Alyssa’s law in every state.

“Every time that panic button is pushed, Alyssa is saving lives,” said Lori.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education will create a list of approved panic alert systems for each district to choose from.