Alyssa's Law in Illinois
Illinois law requires school districts and private schools to consider using a mobile panic alert system in their emergency and crisis response plans by the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year. The operative words are "shall consider." It is a duty to consider a system, not to install one. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 25, 2026
What does the Illinois law require?
Districts and private schools must consider a mobile panic alert system in their emergency and crisis response plans by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.
If a school does deploy a system:
- It must be integrated with the 9-1-1 center (PSAP) serving the facility's jurisdiction and send its alert to that center when activated.
- It must be tested at least once a year together with the 9-1-1 center and first responder agencies.
- Before buying, each district and private school must coordinate with its local 9-1-1 authority, and the school pays any 9-1-1 connectivity expense.
Who is covered?
School districts and private schools.
What will the state publish?
The Illinois State Police must develop rules by March 1, 2027 for a system to qualify as an Alyssa's Alert. The State Police must post information on the rules on its website, and the State Board of Education must post it too.
Is there state funding?
As introduced, HB 5107 created a Mobile Panic Alert System Grant Fund; a House floor amendment deleted it from the bill.
Bill and statute history
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Law | Public Act 104-0789, the enrolled HB 5107, which may be referred to as Alyssa's Law |
| Statute | 105 ILCS 128/42, "Mobile panic alert system," in the School Safety Drill Act |
| Votes | House 108-0; Senate 59-0 |
| Approved | August 7, 2026 |
| Effective | January 1, 2027 |
Which bills did not pass?
Other 2025-2026 bills went further. Their last recorded actions:
- HB 1705 would have required each school board to implement a system by July 1, 2026; its last action was re-referral to House Rules on March 21, 2025.
- HB 1072 and HB 2900 would have required each public school to implement a system starting in 2026-2027; both were re-referred to House Rules on March 21, 2025.
- SB 2728 and SB 2948 would have created state grant programs; both were re-referred to Senate Assignments in March 2026.
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.
Drill management runs practice drills through the same workflow as a real Alert, so in a real emergency every step is already familiar and nobody stops to second-guess it. A drill never sends a real Dispatch.
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 qualifies as an Alyssa's Alert under the Illinois State Police rules, which are due by March 1, 2027.