Virginia's wearable panic alarm law
Any Virginia school board may give any school board employee in a public elementary and secondary school building in its division a wearable panic alarm system. It is permitted, not required. The law took effect July 1, 2026.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 25, 2026
What does the Virginia law allow?
A school board "may provide" wearable panic alarm systems to its employees. The system is worn on the body, and the user activates it by hand. When activated, it sends a signal to the local 9-1-1 public safety answering point reporting a school security emergency that needs immediate response. It also sends a multisensory schoolwide emergency notification when appropriate. A school security emergency includes a non-fire evacuation, a lockdown, a medical emergency or an active shooter.
Who is covered?
School board employees in public elementary and secondary school buildings.
Bill and statute history
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bill | HB 592 (2026 Regular Session), 2026 Acts of Assembly Chapter 45 |
| Votes | House 95-1; Senate 40-0 |
| Approved | April 2, 2026 |
| Effective | July 1, 2026 |
| Statute | Va. Code § 22.1-79.4:1, in the chapter on school boards' general powers and duties |
| Earlier bill | 2025 HB 2403 was left in the House Education Committee |
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.
QuickSecure's Panic is a phone app, not a wearable device. This is not a statement that any product satisfies Virginia law.