Ohio lawmaker wants to make panic alarms mandatory in schools for safety reasons

In the wake of the Georgia school shooting, an Ohio lawmaker wants school staff to wear alert devices like the ones used to notify law enforcement when approaching Apalachee High School.

Sen. Michele Reynolds, a Republican from Canal Winchester, has introduced a bill that would require staff at public and charter schools to wear panic warning devices starting next school year.

The alarm system must be integrated with technology used by local law enforcement to route 911 and school lockdown calls.

The bill would require school districts to train staff on the proper use of the devices.

Some school districts in Ohio, such as Worthington City Schools and New Albany-Plain Local Schools in central Ohio, are already deploying portable panic alarms.

The bill would be called Alyssa’s Law. Jayden Turner lost her cousin Alyssa Alhadeff in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Turner has advocated for state legislation requiring panic warning systems, according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.

Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which supports the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.