HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lori Alhadeff recalls February 14, 2018, which she says was the most horrific day of her life.
“I texted Alyssa, I told Alyssa to run and hide, that help was on the way," she stated during a press conference at the Pennsylvania Capitol on Monday. "Unfortunately, that help did not get there fast enough.”
On that day, her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa, along with sixteen others, was killed in a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Alhadeff says Alyssa was shot eight times with an AR-15 inside her English classroom.
“Alyssa, I say, was the heartbeat of our family and so now I continue to be Alyssa’s voice," said Alhadeff.
On Monday, she stood alongside several Democratic lawmakers in Harrisburg as they introduced House Bill 1974.
"If Alyssa's Law was in place that horrific day on Valentine's Day, Alyssa's life might have been saved along with 16 others," said Alhadeff.
The proposed legislation would require public and charter schools in Pennsylvania to consider installing panic alarm systems, allowing teachers to directly notify law enforcement of a threat or medical emergency with the push of a button.
“As a legislator and father of two young daughters, I believe it’s imperative schools have every tool at their disposal that they require to keep our children safe," said State Rep. Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna), who is one of the co-sponsors of the bill.
The bill is not a mandate, and lawmakers say it also does not address how schools would pay for the systems.
“It’s a good start and hopefully they see the value of Alyssa’s Law and start to put dollars behind it but we need to start somewhere," said Alhadeff.
“I’m starting to feel it should be a mandate because protecting our children’s lives is priceless," said State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (D-Berks), the bill's prime sponsor, when asked by reporters if the legislation goes far enough.
Alhadeff says the state of Florida was able to fund the panic alarm systems for its schools with $8 million after enacting Alyssa's Law in 2020.
She says the systems cost between $2,000 and $8,000 per year for each school
If HB 1974 passes both the House and Senate and is signed into law by Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania would become the sixth state in the country to enact some version of Alyssa's Law.
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