Illinois Adopts Alyssa’s Law
Illinois has joined the growing list of states adopting Alyssa’s Law. Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 5107 into law this summer, amending the School Safety Drill Act to bring mobile panic alert systems into the conversation for school emergency and crisis response planning statewide.
For safety directors, IT directors, and administrators across Illinois, the new law raises a practical question: what does it actually require, and what should districts be doing now to prepare?
Where the Law Gets Its Name
Alyssa’s Law is named for Alyssa Alhadeff, a student who died in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. In the years since, her parents, Lori and Ilan Alhadeff, founded Make Our Schools Safe (MOSS), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing school safety practices and encouraging states to pass Alyssa’s Law. With the passage of HB 5107, Illinois joins a growing group of states with an Alyssa’s Law on the books, including New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, and West Virginia. Singlewire Software is a proud mission partner of MOSS, supporting the organization’s work to build a culture of safety and vigilance in schools nationwide.
What HB 5107 Requires
By no later than the start of the 2028-2029 school year, Illinois school districts and private schools must consider the use of a mobile panic alert system as part of developing their emergency and crisis response plans.
If a district or school does deploy one, the law is specific about what that system must be able to do to qualify as “Alyssa’s Alert”:
- Connect disparate emergency services technologies to support real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies.
- Integrate with local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) infrastructure for the transmission of 911 calls and mobile activations.
- Undergo annual testing in coordination with the PSAP and first responder agencies.
The Illinois State Police, working with the Statewide 9-1-1 Advisory Board, the State Board of Education, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, will publish rules for qualifying systems by March 1, 2027. Districts and private schools are also responsible for coordinating with their local 911 authority on integration requirements before purchasing or implementing a system, and for covering any connectivity costs the PSAP incurs.
“Consider” Doesn’t Mean “Wait”
It’s worth being precise about the language here: HB 5107 directs districts to consider a mobile panic alert system, rather than mandating one outright. That’s an important distinction, and it’s also an opportunity.
Waiting until rules are finalized in 2027, or until the 2028-2029 deadline approaches, leaves districts making a significant technology decision on a compressed timeline. Districts that start evaluating their options now have more room to plan, budget, and involve the people who will use the system every day.
The law also gives districts room to go further than the minimum. A mobile panic alert system doesn’t have to stand alone — it can be one part of a broader safety and communication platform that supports daily operations, not just emergencies.
How Singlewire InformaCast Lines Up With the Law
The language in HB 5107 describes almost exactly what Singlewire InformaCast is built to do. The law calls for a system that connects disparate emergency services technologies for real-time coordination — and InformaCast’s foundation is unifying safety infrastructure that already exists, rather than replacing it.
For partners across Illinois, that means:
- One system, many devices. InformaCast can turn mobile phones, desktop computers, IP phones, and wearable devices into panic alert tools, so districts aren’t limited to a single form factor.
- PSAP integration. InformaCast supports direct communication with local 911 infrastructure, so an activation reaches dispatchers and on-site staff at the same time.
- Coordination across responder agencies. When an alert goes out, InformaCast can notify building-level staff, local law enforcement, and other first responder agencies simultaneously, with location detail to help responders find the right person in the room.
- Room to grow. Because InformaCast is a full communication and incident management platform, districts can layer in capabilities like severe weather alerting, reunification, and daily paging on top of the core panic alert function — one deployment, many uses.
Singlewire has spent more than 20 years helping schools and districts connect the systems they already have into one dependable platform. For Illinois partners working through what HB 5107 means for their district, that experience means fewer surprises and a clearer path to a system that fits how your school actually operates.
Where to Start
If your district hasn’t yet mapped its current setup against the law’s technical requirements, that’s the right first step. From there, most districts benefit from understanding their procurement timeline, involving their local 911 authority early, and identifying whether their existing infrastructure can be extended rather than replaced.
Singlewire Software is ready to walk Illinois partners through what compliance looks like in practice — and how a single platform can meet the mandate while giving your district more than the minimum.
Request a Demo to see how InformaCast can support your district’s Alyssa’s Alert planning.
Frequently Asked Questions: Alyssa’s Law in Illinois (HB 5107)
- Does Illinois require every school to install a mobile panic alert system? Not exactly. HB 5107 requires districts and private schools to consider the use of a mobile panic alert system when developing their emergency and crisis response plans, by no later than the start of the 2028-2029 school year. If a system is deployed, it must meet specific technical requirements to be called “Alyssa’s Alert.”
- What must a system do to qualify as “Alyssa’s Alert” in Illinois? It must be able to connect disparate emergency services technologies for real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies, integrate with local PSAP infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations, and undergo annual testing with the PSAP and first responders.
- When will the state’s rules for qualifying systems be finalized? The Illinois State Police, in consultation with several state agencies, must publish rules by March 1, 2027.
- Who pays for PSAP connectivity under the law? The school district or private school is responsible for any expense the local PSAP incurs to support the system’s connectivity.
- Can a mobile panic alert system do more than meet the minimum requirement? Yes. Districts can build on the core panic alert function with additional strategies and systems, such as broader incident management, weather alerting, or reunification tools, as part of a more complete safety and communication platform.
- Do we need new hardware to comply? Not necessarily. A platform like InformaCast is designed to connect existing infrastructure — phones, computers, and other devices — rather than requiring a full hardware replacement.