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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 12, 2022 02:46 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Karen Boback |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | School Safety Bill |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a key piece of legislation that will advance school safety and security throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The safety and protection of all public-school students and staff across the Commonwealth is a paramount issue that must be addressed. In 2022 alone, there were at least 95 incidents of gunfire on school grounds nationally, which resulted in 40 deaths and 76 injuries. My legislation is directly focused on enhancing school safety for both students as well as staff. This bill would allow for schools to be outfitted with emergency response devices that would help to quickly alert emergency services when an emergency is occurring within the school. This legislation is similar to “Alyssa’s Law,” which has currently passed in three states and has been introduced in an additional four. Alyssa’s Law which was named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, who fell victim to the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, calls for the installation of silent panic buttons in schools, that are directly linked to 911. Following the path of this law, the first device schools would have the option to be outfitted with, under my legislation, are panic buttons that would be directly linked to 911. This would allow school officials to quickly contact emergency services with the simple push of a button when an emergency arises. Additionally, schools could be outfitted with gunshot detection devices. These devices are equipped with sensors that alert when a gunshot is detected. When triggered, the devices send an alert to a call center, allowing for the proper emergency services to respond to the situation. This legislation would give schools the option to implement two new methods to enhance school safety and security for students and staff throughout the Commonwealth. Too often, after a school shooting, people pose the question “why wasn’t this prevented?” or “what more can we do?” This bill is the first step toward preventing these horrific tragedies from ever occurring. I hope that you will join me in sponsoring this very important piece of legislation to help make our schools a safer and more secure place for all students and staff throughout the Commonwealth. |