An Act concerning school security alarms and supplementing chapter 41 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
C.18A:41-10 Short title.
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as “Alyssa’s Law.”
C.18A:41-11 Equipping public and secondary schools with panic alarms or emergency mechanisms.
2. a. As used in this section:
“Panic alarm” means a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring a response from law enforcement.
b. Except as otherwise provided pursuant to subsection e. of this section, each public elementary and secondary school building shall be equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school security emergency including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situation. The alarm shall be directly linked to local law enforcement authorities or, in the case of a school building located in a municipality in which there is no municipal police department, a location designated by the Superintendent of State Police, and shall immediately transmit a signal or message to such authorities upon activation. The alarm shall not be audible within the school building.
c. Each panic alarm required under this section shall adhere to nationally recognized industry standards, including the standards of the National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories.
d. Each panic alarm required under this section shall be installed solely by a person licensed to engage in the alarm business in accordance with the provisions of section 7 of P.L.1997, c.305 (C.45:5A-27).
e. A school district may equip its elementary and secondary school buildings with an emergency mechanism that is an alternative to a panic alarm if the mechanism is approved by the Department of Education.
C.18A:41-12 Funding of panic alarms or emergency mechanisms.
3. A portion of the proceeds of bonds authorized to be issued to fund school security, upon voter approval of P.L.2018, c.119, shall be used to fund the full cost of the panic alarms required in public elementary and secondary school buildings in any district pursuant to section 2 of this act or alternative emergency mechanisms approved by the department pursuant to that section. A school district that, prior to the effective date of this act, installed a panic alarm or alternative emergency mechanism approved by the department may receive reimbursement for those costs.
C.18A:41-13 Rules, regulations.
4. The New Jersey Schools Development Authority shall adopt, immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law, rules and regulations pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to establish a program to effectuate the purposes of this act, which regulations shall be effective for a period not to exceed six months and may thereafter be amended, adopted or readopted by the Schools Development Authority in accordance with the requirements of P.L.1968, c.410.
5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the tenth month following voter approval of P.L.2018, c.119.
Approved February 6, 2019.