RICHMOND, Va. -- Valentine’s Day will mark six years since Lori Alhadeff’s daughter, Alyssa, was shot and killed in her classroom at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Alhadeff has since channeled her grief into action starting Make Our Schools Safe.
“I’ve made it my life's mission to speak out about Alyssa's Law everywhere across this country,” she said.
HB 1046, dubbed Alyssa’s law, would require schools to implement a panic button to immediately alert law enforcement when pressed.
Alhadeff sometimes wonders about the what if’s. What if a panic button was installed in her daughter’s classroom or was worn by a teacher around their neck. A panic button could also be pressed in a cell phone app.
“I believe lives definitely would have been saved. My daughter, Alyssa, would have had some time to be able to get into the safer space in her classroom and would not have been in the direct line of fire to where the shooter was shooting at Alyssa,” she stated.
The former Physical Education teacher testified in favor of HB 1046 during Tuesday’s K-12 House subcommittee.
Minutes after she testified, lawmakers voted to recommend tabling the bill.
Stacey Haney representing the Virginia School Boards Association spoke against the bill citing concerns around funding.
“This is a great idea. There’s lots of great ideas,” Haney said. “Not in opposition to the underlying policy but we have to figure out how to pay for all of these things that the General Assembly is directing the school boards to do.”
Alhadeff told CBS 6 that she was surprised by the subcommittee’s vote (5-Y 3-N).
“I’m still hopeful that this can be passed into law in Virginia so Virginia schools can have their panic button and to make your schools safer,” she explained. “I’m never giving up.”
Five states currently have Alyssa’s Law on the books including Texas that signed the bill into law last year.
Funding was allocated to the bill after lawmakers provided $1.4 billion towards school safety in response to the Uvalde massacre.
“I, from bottom my heart, I do not ever want to see another school shooting. I don't want that to be the reason why Alyssa's Law gets passed in a state. I want it to be because we see this as a layer of safety protection in our schools and that is something that we could do to prevent loss of life.”
Alhadeff successfully ran for Broward County School Board in Florida following her daughter's murder in 2018. She is currently the board's chair.
You can find more information on the Make Our Schools safe organization here.
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