HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4226        FILED ON: 3/22/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3881

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Marcus S. Vaughn

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to alert systems in public schools.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4226        FILED ON: 3/22/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3881

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to alert systems in public schools.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 37R of Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of ‘Two-way communication device’ the following definition:-

‘Silent panic alarm,’ a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device with the intent to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring an immediate response from law enforcement.

Section 37R is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(c) Each school shall, subject to appropriation, possess and have access to at least one silent panic alarm for use in a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring immediate response from law enforcement, including but not limited to an active shooter situation, lockdown, or armed or unarmed intruder on school grounds. The alarm shall be directly linked to local law enforcement and shall immediately transmit a signal or message to such authorities upon activation. The alarm shall not be audible within the school building and shall be equipped with an emergency light which turns on when the alarm is activated.

Section 37R is hereby further amended by inserting after subsection (c) the following subsection:-

(d) No public employer shall be liable for injury, loss of property, personal injury or death caused by an act or omission of a public employee while acting in the scope of the public employee’s employment and arising out of the implementation of this section, This section shall not be construed as creating or imposing a specific duty of care.