“This is a solution to some of my greatest fears as a mom,” Holly Walker, co-founder of MOSS TN and a mother of three children said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two Tennessee moms and co-founders of the nonprofit, Make Our Schools Safe (MOSS) TN hope lawmakers pass a bill this upcoming session mandating wearable panic buttons for teachers.
Last year, Tennessee legislators passed a version of Alyssa’s Law, named after a Parkland High School shooting victim, which encourages school districts to consider implementing panic buttons in their classrooms.
The buttons can be worn on a lanyard, mounted on the wall, or in an app. When pressed during an emergency, school officials and law enforcement are notified.
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“This is a solution to some of my greatest fears as a mom,” Holly Walker, co-founder of MOSS TN and a mother of three children said.
The push behind Walker’s passion for panic buttons is personal. In 2018, her niece’s school was put on lockdown during the Parkland High School shooting where she lost a dear friend.
“That hit close to home because we had never known anyone in a school shooting before, and then when the Covenant shooting happened, that wasn’t only literally close to home, but it hit close to home because now it was children that were my children’s ages,” Walker said.
Co-founder of MOSS TN and mom, Noelle Rasmussen, told News 2 the buttons are not only useful during active shooter incidents, but also during more common occurrences, including allergic reactions and fights.
“They help in a variety of situations,” Rasmussen said. “There’s an intruder alert function and there’s a staff alert function, and the panic alarms have been used 95% of the time for non-intruder needs.”
It’s unclear the number of TN districts that have implemented panic buttons in their schools, however, Clinton City Schools and Rutherford County Schools have a version of panic buttons teachers can access, according to the district and a panic button company.
Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a bill establishing a mobile panic button pilot program that provides four $8,000 grants to TN schools on a first-come-first-served basis.
Despite funding presenting a potential issue, Walker and Rasmussen hope legislators can do more this upcoming session and mandate wearable panic buttons.
“To me, this is kind of like a no-brainer,” Walker said. “There are lots of issues around school safety, and we get that. We felt like this solution was one where everyone can get on board.”