Delaware's school panic button law
When a new school is built or a major renovation is done in Delaware, the project must include a panic button or intruder alert system. The system must be able to be activated from the school office and from a handheld device. The rule applies to construction and major renovation projects.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 25, 2026
What does the Delaware law require?
The requirement applies whenever a new school is constructed or a major renovation is undertaken. A major renovation is a project whose cost meets or exceeds the Major Capital Improvement Program threshold in 14 DE Admin. Code 401. The project must include a panic button or intruder alert system that can be activated from the school office and from a handheld device.
How does the state check?
OMB Facilities Management coordinates a Department of Safety and Homeland Security review of school construction plans to verify compliance. If the department finds a plan non-compliant, the district may ask the Secretary for a further review. The Comprehensive School Safety Program and the Department of Education must give districts and OMB Facilities Management emerging best practices on alarm capabilities every year.
When did it take effect?
The act was approved June 14, 2018, and the General Assembly lists its effective date as January 1, 2019. It does not apply to projects whose certificate of necessity was issued on or before the effective date.
Bill and statute history
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Law | 81 Del. Laws chapter 267 (House Substitute 1 for House Bill 49, 149th General Assembly), the Representative Joseph E. Miro School Safety Act |
| Statute | 14 Del. C. § 2306(b)(4) |
| 2024 amendment | Senate Bill 279, 84 Del. Laws chapter 441, approved September 26, 2024 |
| 2026 amendment | Senate Bill 273, 85 Del. Laws chapter 312, approved and effective June 24, 2026; it left the panic button item unchanged and concerns security film and ballistic-resistant materials |
How can QuickSecure help?
Panic, the QuickSecure mobile app, lets any staff member raise an Alert from a phone. Schools start with Lockdown, Fire, Medical and Admin Alerts, each with its response workflow already built, and can add their own Alert types with their own workflows.
Schools can also add a physical panic button.
Each school sets how every Alert type behaves: silent or announced, a critical alert or a normal notification, whether it also sends email and text messages, and how it looks, down to its color, icon and wording.
Dispatch sends the Alert straight to 911 through RapidSOS, with one confirmation step. Each school chooses which Alert types call 911.
Mass notifications lets a school choose how each message goes out: app notifications, critical alerts, text messages or email.
Nexus holds campus maps and floor plans, plus details such as where the AEDs are, who is on site, which class each person is in and their status, and responders can see them during an Alert.
This is not a statement that any product satisfies 14 Del. C. § 2306.