Originally Published June 27, 2025, by NBC Connecticut | Article by Jennifer Joas
Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill into law on Tuesday that allows schools to purchase wearable panic alarms for teachers and staff.
The silent panic alarms are the size of an ID badge, and if pushed several times can immediately alert other staff in the building and police of an emergency, such as a school shooting.
“In the active shooter situation, when that panic button is pressed, it geofences the area, so law enforcement can pull up the cameras within that area, get eyes on the scene, know exactly what is going on, and then better direct their SRO [school resource officer] to go to take down the shooter,” said Lori Alhaldeff, from Make Our Schools Safe.
Alhaldeff’s daughter Alyssa was shot and killed in her high school English class in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Alyssa’s parents started the nonprofit, Make Our Schools Safe, and have been advocating for schools across the country to allow teachers to have these silent panic alarms.
New Jersey was the first state to pass it, naming it Alyssa’s Law, after Alyssa Alhaldeff. Now Connecticut joins the list of 10 other states that have passed similar legislation.
“We’re really excited that the movement of Alyssa’s Law has really gone full force. Our goal is to pass Alyssa’s Law as a standard level school safety protection in every school across the country,” said Alhaldeff. “We know that time equals life and the faster we can get help on the scene, the more lives that we’ll save.”
Students at Staples High School in Westport also spoke in support of this during the public hearing and spoke about their experience of being in kindergarten when the Sandy Hook shooting happened.
The money for these alarms will come from grant money that’s already been set aside for school security.
Prior to the governor signing it, it received overwhelming support in the House and Senate.
NBC Connecticut | June 27, 2025
Layer One helps schools and facilities stay ahead of emergency response standards with fixed, virtual, and mobile panic button solutions. Designed to align with Alyssa’s Law, our systems integrate seamlessly with mass communication platforms, ensuring alerts reach the right people fast. Rather than wait for legislation to come to Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., we ask: Why wait? Improve school safety today. We’re here every step of the project life cycle and beyond.
