The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A bill co-sponsored by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17) that will help school districts across the state install “panic buttons” was recently signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy.
The bill, formerly A-6258, allocates $5.1 million from the Securing Our Children’s Future Fund to the state Department of Education to fund grants to 60 school districts for the security projects.
The funding will help those districts comply with “Alyssa’s Law,” which “requires every public elementary and secondary school building to be equipped with at least one panic alarm or approved alternative that can alert first responders and law enforcement agencies in the event of an emergency,” according to a press release about teh bill.
In a joint statement with co-sponsors Roy Freiman (D-16) and Angela McKnight (D-31), Danielsen said, “Equipping our schools with panic alarms will help first responders come to the aid of students and staff more quickly in the event of an emergency. It’s sad that measures such as this are necessary. However, in these troubling times this is a prudent action to protect the well-being of our children.”
