Alyssa’s Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill expands the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety to develop, test, and evaluate panic alarm technology — defined as wearable devices that let school staff instantly contact emergency services during a crisis like a school shooting. The Department of Homeland Security would lead research into the most effective devices and run demonstration projects.
• A new National School Safety Data Center would be created within one year through SchoolSafety.gov to collect and publish nationwide data on school shootings, injuries, deaths, and the effectiveness of safety plans. This data would help states, school districts, and law enforcement set priorities and find solutions.
• Starting in fiscal year 2026, no federal funds may be used to buy emergency response maps unless they meet strict digital standards — including being accessible on smartphones and tablets, updated in real time, interoperable with emergency response systems, and stored only in U.S.-based data centers.
• The bill requires annual walk-through inspections of school sites to verify the accuracy of emergency response maps and mandates that maps be shared without restriction with all public safety agencies serving the school. This aims to ensure first responders always have up-to-date building layouts during emergencies.
• The bill explicitly does not grant any new regulatory or rulemaking authority to the Clearinghouse. Instead, it uses federal funding conditions, technical assistance, and research to encourage — rather than mandate — schools to adopt higher safety standards and evidence-based practices.