Effective May 5, 2023, Alyssa’s Law (SB 838/HB 669) was passed in Texas. This bill requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide silent panic alert technology in classrooms beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The technology must allow for immediate contact with district or school emergency services and agencies, law enforcement agencies, health departments, and fire departments.
While the bill was brought before the Senate by Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Representative Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) has long worked to implement a similar bill, HB 669.
Schools will have until the start of the 2025-2026 school year to install qualified panic alert technology. Because their requirements for qualified silent panic alert technology overlaps with the bill’s, schools may also use funds through the School Safety Formula Grant— the deadline for which is August 1—as well as the Texas SPAT grant to purchase the technology.
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How Alyssa's Law Addresses School Safety Concerns in Texas
Under Alyssa’s Law, all Texas public schools—including charter schools—are required to install panic alert technology allowing school personnel to quickly and easily alert law enforcement in case of an emergency.
The law requires these alert systems to have a direct connection to local law enforcement agencies and the ability to alert all school staff, including teachers and administrators, of an emergency.
Designed to work under duress, Raptor Alert is a silent panic alert system that works on the devices your schools use every day. Raptor Alert expedites and streamlines emergency response by allowing users to initiate an alert directly through 911 and provide critical information to first responders, law enforcement, and campus personnel.
How Raptor Helps Texas Schools Align with Alyssa's Law
Improve your schools’ safety and security by ensuring they have the necessary tools and procedures in place to respond quickly and effectively in case of an emergency.
With Raptor Alert, you empower your staff to expedite the call for help with a direct connection to 911, and instant notifications help inform your staff an emergency is taking place. Streamline your emergency response even further with Raptor Connect—initiate multiple emergency response mechanisms from a single point, reducing the number of individual digital activations required during an emergency, speeding notifications, and minimizing the impact of the situation.
Want to learn more about how Raptor can help your district or school comply with Alyssa’s Law? Schedule a demo.
Other States with Alyssa's Law
Several states have already passed Alyssa’s Law and many other states have pending legislation.
Related Resources
Understand your options for choosing the most reliable panic alert system for your school in our guide: A Case for Wearable Panic Alerts: Helping Schools Choose and Adopt the Right One
