LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Schools would have the ability to summon a law enforcement response at the push of a button under new legislation introduced in the Michigan House. 

State officials would install a panic alarm in every school building “for use in the event of a school security emergency such as a non-fire evacuation, a lockdown, or an active shooter situation,” according to House Bill 4241.  

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Part of the catalyst for the bills has been the rise in school shootings, like the Oxford School Shooting in 2021, and the shooting in Texas at the elementary school in Uvalde leaving 21 people killed. 

“There were resources, people around, and there were sheriffs around, and there was a whole bunch of people around. The technology that’s being currently used was there, but still, 19 children and two teachers perished that day,” said Representative Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) referring to the shooting. “So, what I’m saying is this is an additional tool and additional resource that may be able to help schools if they have an unforeseeable incident like that.”

The bill would also ensure that the schools are equipped with at least one panic alarm, which is defined as a “silent security system signal generated by the manual activation, either virtually from a phone or computer system or nonvirtually, of a device or an alternative mechanism intended to communicate life-threatening or emergency situations that require a response from law enforcement to law enforcement.” 

While HB 4241 does not clearly have a fiscal impact on the state, a bill tie barred with it, HB 4242 would. The connected bill would provide $6.7 million from the General Fund for districts and ISDs to offset the “cost of purchasing and installing a panic alarm for each school building.” 

According to a report, several other states have already implemented similar legislation, including: Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.  The Lone Star state passed its version as recently in June, to be implemented for the 2025-2026 school year. 

The Texas version of the bill had a net cost of $1.7 million to incorporate new technology in the classrooms, in which teachers have the ability to press a silent button to summon emergency services. 

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A representative from Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), Guy Grace, described how it would have to be a unique system from the current school systems. 

“Normal business telephone, email or cell phone apps designed for routine communication are not adequate for critical communication during an emergency event, unless they are specially configured for this purpose in a code-compliant manner,” said Grace. 

The legislation was spurred by the mother of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year old killed during the Parkland Shooting in Florida in 2018.  Her mother Lori, testified before the Michigan House Education Committee earlier this fall. 

“I know that by telling my story and telling others what happened to Alyssa will help to pass Alyssa’s Law and also to help to save lives,” said Lori. “At the end of the day, in an emergency situation, we need to get help on the scene as quickly as possible.”

So far five other states have adopted the legislation, and others are in the process of considering it.