Peter Schorsch
Bills that would require panic alarm systems in all public schools are ready for a floor vote in the House and Senate.
Still, concerns over how HB 23 and SB 70 would deliver the technology dominated the conversation in their final committee hearings.
St. Petersburg Sen. Jeff Brandes questioned whether panic alarms would provide any tangible benefit over dialing 911. Rep. Susan Valdés was skeptical that the funding — $8 million in the House bill — would cover the costs, while other representatives expressed concerns over Wi-Fi or cell service dead zones.
These are all valid worries. After all, coding a panic button app is the easy part — hundreds of companies produced solutions following the Columbine shooting, many of dubious quality. Simply put, any company can get panic buttons into schools, but only a few can claim a reliable statewide solution.
The questions lawmakers should be asking is how the Department of Education can build a comprehensive database of phone numbers, secure that data, operate across all communications channels, and train first responders how to use that system and quickly respond when someone hits the red button.
Such a system may sound like a unicorn, but it’s not. There are solutions already being used by state agencies and local governments that meet and exceed those standards.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has had a comprehensive emergency response system in place for years. AlertFlorida has already proven effective. So much so that 65 counties and more than 300 local governments are using the system to broadcast alerts within their jurisdictions.
Cities and counties didn’t latch onto AlertFlorida because they were forced to end their current alert system contracts (they weren’t), but because it was better and more reliable than other solutions on the market.
As previously reported, AlertFlorida would only need minor product additions to fit the requirements of “Alyssa’s Law,” meaning it could be ready for use before the 2020-21 school year begins, a year ahead of the deadline set by HB 23 and SB 70.
DEM already has a secure database of phone numbers, too — heading into the 2019 hurricane season, it included a whopping 96% of phone numbers, both landlines and cellphones.
Using AlertFlorida would allow the panic alert system to go beyond the requirements of “Alyssa’s Law.” Floridians who live near schools or in the path of a fleeing shooter could be warned as well.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has made tearing down the walls between state agencies a priority, and for good reason. Why should two state agencies shell out for separate software that provides essentially the same functionality? They shouldn’t, they should work together to enhance what’s already in place.
Adding the additional products to the existing contract would allow each school district the ability to monitor the activity in their entire school district as well as well, provide DOE, DEM and the Department of Law Enforcement the ability to monitor all school districts in the State through a single pane of glass view. This would add complete interoperability and quicker response by emergency responders.
Allowing DOE to piggyback off the solution DEM is already using is common sense. It would be efficient, cost effective and timely. Most importantly, we already know it works.
