The mother of one of the victims of the worst school shooting in the nation’s history called on Oregon lawmakers Monday to require a mass notification system be installed in all K-12 schools.

Lori Alhadeff testified by video at a hearing on House Bill 3101 before the House Education Committee. It would require a “panic button” system at schools that would send out a mass notification to law enforcement and other emergency response agencies that supporters say would speed response times in life-or-death situations. Cell phones at a school could be used to send the message.

The legislation introduced by Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, is modeled on a bill already passed in Florida, New York and New Jersey to speed response to life-and-death situations at schools. The bill is called “Alyssa’s Law,” in memory of Alhadeff’s daughter, who was among 14 students and 3 staff killed at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day in 2018. Another 17 people were wounded. 

“Tomorrow is five years,” Alhadeff testified on Monday. 

Nikolas Cruz, 19, a recent dropout from the school, walked onto the campus with a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic rifle decorated with Nazi swastikas. He randomly opened fire, spraying halls and classrooms with bullets. Students and staff attempted to flee or hide. Alyssa, 14, was able to text her mother.

“I texted Alyssa and I told her to run and hide, that help was on the way,” Lori Alhadeff said Monday. “Unfortunately, that help didn’t arrive fast enough.”

Communication delays between the school and local law enforcement were blamed in later investigations for giving Cruz enough time to double back to some of the rooms where he had already shot and killed students.

“Alyssa was in her English classroom,” Lori Ahladeff said Monday. “She was shot eight times.”

Cruz abandoned his weapon and escaped by blending in with students fleeing the massacre scene. An hour after the shooting, police arrested Cruz on a nearby street. He pled guilty to 17 first-degree murder and 17 attempted murder charges and is serving 34 consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.

Levy testified alongside the bill’s chief co-sponsor, Rep. Ben Bowman, D-Tigard. The bill’s supporting sponsor is Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth.

“This is an important tool in our toolbox,” Levy said. “Those few seconds after an emergency are precious and vulnerable. There needs to be a unified communications system.”

Levy said the system is in place for the “worst case scenario” of a mass shooter. But it also can cut response time for other emergencies.

About 80% of the alerts were for “everyday emergencies like seizures, allergic reactions and heart problems,” Levy testified.

An amendment to exempt some rural and smaller schools will be offered if the bill is scheduled for a work session by the committee by March 17. That’s the deadline for most policy bills to meet in order to remain under consideration for the current session.

 A mobile “panic button” alarm system would incorporate cellular and landline phones at schools. It would send out an alarm to law enforcement and emergency medical services. Similar systems are already in use in several cities, universities, businesses, government agencies and other institutions around the nation.

It can also be used for two-way communication to help first responders know the latest information about where and how to help when they arrive.

Lori Alhadeff has become an advocate for increased security and communication systems at schools. She’s currently also chair of the Broward County School Board. She said the mass notification system shortens response times and can be used by first responders to get a better understanding of what is going on when they arrive at an incident.

“Help knows where to go,” Alhadeff told the committee. “They can pull up their cameras and see where the threat is coming from so they can get there as quickly as possible to triage the victims or take down the threat.”

The Oregon bill was introduced when the Legislature convened in January and was assigned to the House Education Committee. It moved up on lawmakers’ agenda following last Thursday’s threat of violence at Bend High School. Emergency dispatchers received an anonymous call from a man who said he was in the Bend High School parking lot, was armed, and planned to go into the school.

As a precaution, all high schools in the Bend-La Pine Schools district were placed into “secure” status, with no one allowed in or out of the schools. Police arrived at the high school in what they reported was within three minutes of the call. After an extensive search, no potential shooter was found. It was later reported by authorities that the call came from outside the United States.

School safety is on the front burner for Bend-La Pine School. The Bend-La Pine school board, at its meeting Tuesday, will discuss a proposal to speed up the process of replacing interior door handles and locks across district schools. This project was originally intended to take several years during the summers, but is now being considered for the school year so the replacements can be completed as quickly as possible.

At Monday’s hearing, 12 of the 14 pieces of written testimony submitted to the committee came from Bend and Redmond in Deschutes County. At the top of the list was a letter from Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler, who said she was writing on behalf of the city council. In addition to the threat last week, a mass shooting in late August killed two people at a Safeway supermarket before the gunman killed himself as police approached. 

“Bend is no stranger to gun violence, and we have heard directly from our students and young people about their concerns when it comes to feeling safe at school,” Kebler wrote. “House Bill 3101 fills in a critical, missing piece that empowers educators and students to get help quickly when they need it most, and in a way that shares instant, accurate information.”

If the bill is to become law, the next step is for the House Education Committee chair, Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, to schedule and then hold a working session where amendments can be considered. A committee vote could recommend passage to the full House. If approved, the bill would then go to the Senate, which would hold a hearing, consider amendments, and then could recommend the bill to the full Senate for passage. The final step would be for Gov. Tina Kotek to sign the bill into law.