Alyssa's Law in Washington
Washington school districts must work with local law enforcement, 911 answering points, and safety and security staff to develop an emergency response system. The system must include at least one listed option, and the first option is panic or alert buttons. Panic buttons are not the only compliant choice: other options include remote control access to doors and live two-way communications.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 25, 2026
What does the Washington law require?
Each district "must" develop an emergency response system with local law enforcement, public safety answering points, and safety and security staff. The system's purpose is to speed the response and arrival of law enforcement during a threat or emergency at a school. It must include at least one listed option. The first is panic or alert buttons tied to school administration, district staff and emergency response providers. Other options include remote control access to doors and live interactive two-way communications.
Who is covered?
School districts. The law also applies to charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools.
What were the deadlines?
Each district had to send OSPI a progress report on its emergency response system by October 1, 2025. OSPI had to compile the district reports and report to the Legislature on the types of systems used by December 1, 2025.
How is it funded?
The 2025-27 capital budget funds a School Security and Preparedness Infrastructure Grants program through OSPI. Panic buttons are an eligible project under those grants. OSPI says the Legislature gave $6 million for the program in the 2025-27 capital budget, and awards are capped at $500,000 per district per biennium. OSPI says the whole $6 million had been allocated to districts by May 2026. OSPI has requested $12 million to continue the program in 2027-29. That is a request, not an appropriation.
Bill and statute history
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bill | Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5004, chapter 347, Laws of 2025, which may be cited as Alyssa's law |
| Approved | May 19, 2025 |
| Effective | July 27, 2025 |
| Statute | RCW 28A.320.126, current text from section 1 of chapter 347, Laws of 2025 |
| Capital budget | Chapter 414, Laws of 2025 |
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.
During an Alert, staff and responders share one discussion thread for that emergency.
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.
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.
This is not a statement that any product satisfies Washington law; which option a district chooses, and whether it qualifies, is a decision for the district, its law enforcement partners and its counsel.