Illinois school safety leaders need a precise reading of HB 5107. The law creates a planning duty, not an express requirement to purchase or deploy a mobile panic-alert system.
The Governor approved HB 5107 on August 7, 2026, and it became Public Act 104-0789. The Act takes effect January 1, 2027. Covered schools must consider a mobile panic-alert system in their emergency and crisis-response planning no later than the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year.
Those are three different legal milestones. None creates an installation deadline.
Review the operative language, dates, coverage, and future rule updates on our Illinois Alyssa's Law requirements page.
What did Illinois enact on August 7, 2026?
HB 5107 became Public Act 104-0789 after the Governor approved it on August 7, 2026. The Act permits the name Alyssa's Law.
The final Act amends the School Safety Drill Act by adding Section 42, codified at 105 ILCS 128/42. It does not create a grant fund or add Section 43 because lawmakers removed those provisions before enactment.
For a district safety lead, the key distinction is simple. Approval happened in August 2026, the law takes effect in January 2027, and the planning duty comes later.
Does HB 5107 require schools to install panic buttons?
No. The operative sentence says:
"By no later than the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year, school districts and private schools in this State shall consider the use of a mobile panic alert system in the development of their school emergency and crisis response plans."
The required action is to consider the system during plan development. The statute does not expressly require a school to purchase, install, implement, or use one.
The next sentence begins with "If used." That conditional language introduces the specifications for a system a covered school chooses to use. Calling Public Act 104-0789 an installation mandate goes beyond the enacted text.
This distinction matters when you brief a board, set a planning calendar, or review vendor claims. State the duty in the statute's terms: consider the use of a mobile panic-alert system in the development of the school emergency and crisis-response plan.
Which Illinois schools does the law cover?
Section 42 expressly names school districts and private schools in Illinois.
Charter coverage needs a narrower explanation. Section 42 does not name charter schools as a separate category. The School Safety Drill Act defines "school district" to include a charter school authorized by the State Board of Education under Section 27A-7.5 of the School Code.
That definition covers the State Board-authorized charter schools it describes. It does not support a claim that every Illinois charter school falls within Section 42 regardless of authorizer or legal status.
What are the three dates Illinois schools should track?
Keep these milestones separate:
- August 7, 2026: The Governor approved HB 5107, which became Public Act 104-0789.
- January 1, 2027: Public Act 104-0789 takes effect.
- Beginning of the 2028-2029 school year: Covered school districts and private schools must have considered a mobile panic-alert system while developing their emergency and crisis-response plans.
The January 2027 effective date is not a system installation date. The 2028-2029 planning deadline is not a system installation date either.
What applies if a school chooses to deploy a system?
The Act sets conditions for a mobile panic-alert system that a covered school deploys under Section 42. These conditions do not change the initial duty to consider.
If a school uses a system that meets the Section 42 specifications, the Act calls it "Alyssa's Alert." The system must connect to diverse emergency-service technologies so multiple first responder agencies can coordinate in real time.
A system deployed under Section 42 must integrate with the public safety answering point, or PSAP, that serves the facility's jurisdiction. When someone activates the system, the alert must reach the PSAP's existing infrastructure.
The school must also test the system at least once each year in coordination with the PSAP and first responder agencies. Before purchase and implementation, each school district or private school that moves forward must coordinate with its local 9-1-1 authority on integration requirements.
The school district or private school must cover any PSAP connectivity expense. These duties apply when a covered school pursues a system under the section. They do not convert the consideration requirement into a purchase requirement.
When will Illinois State Police issue Alyssa's Alert rules?
Illinois State Police must develop qualification rules by March 1, 2027. Those rules will govern whether a mobile panic-alert system qualifies as an Alyssa's Alert and meets Section 42 specifications.
Illinois State Police must publish its rule information on its website. The State Board of Education must also publish anything the State Police posts under that subsection.
No vendor can claim Alyssa's Alert qualification before those rules exist. That restriction applies to every vendor, including Positive Proof.
Until Illinois issues the rules, ask any vendor to separate current product capabilities from future qualification claims. Request a written plan for reviewing the final rules, coordinating with your local 9-1-1 authority, integrating with the serving PSAP, and supporting annual tests.
How can your district prepare without treating consideration as a mandate?
Use the time before the 2028-2029 school year to run a documented planning process. Keep the legal question separate from the purchasing question.
- Put the correct dates on your calendar. Record approval, the effective date, the State Police rulemaking deadline, and the school planning deadline as separate milestones.
- Confirm coverage. Identify whether the organization is a school district, a private school, or a State Board-authorized charter school within the Act's definition.
- Document consideration. Record how the planning team evaluated the use of a mobile panic-alert system in the emergency and crisis-response plan.
- Watch for final rules. Review information that Illinois State Police and the State Board of Education publish after rule development.
- Bring local responders into the process. If the school may move toward purchase and implementation, coordinate with the local 9-1-1 authority before that step.
- Test vendor statements. Ask vendors to label what the enacted law says, what the future rules will decide, and what their products can substantiate today.
- Plan conditional operations. If the school moves forward, address PSAP integration, delivery to existing PSAP infrastructure, annual coordinated testing, and PSAP connectivity expenses.
Use this checklist to create a record of consideration without presuming the outcome. Keep board materials and procurement documents aligned with the enacted wording.
Where can you read the primary sources and track next steps?
Start with the Illinois General Assembly text of Public Act 104-0789. Use the HB 5107 bill-status history to verify the approval date, effective date, and Public Act number.
For charter scope, review the School Safety Drill Act definition of school district. After you establish the Illinois rule, use our Alyssa's Law requirements by state hub to navigate state-by-state requirements.
Your immediate task is accurate planning. Treat "shall consider" as the operative duty, track the March 1, 2027 rules deadline, and preserve the distinction between consideration and a decision to deploy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Illinois Alyssa's Law an install mandate?
No. It requires covered schools to consider a mobile panic-alert system in emergency and crisis-response planning. The words "If used" show that the Act does not expressly require purchase or deployment.
When does Illinois Public Act 104-0789 take effect?
It takes effect January 1, 2027. That date does not create an installation deadline.
When must Illinois schools consider a mobile panic-alert system?
Covered school districts and private schools must consider one during development of their emergency and crisis-response plans no later than the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year.
Does Illinois's law cover private and charter schools?
Section 42 expressly covers private schools and school districts. The School Safety Drill Act's definition of "school district" includes a charter school that the State Board of Education authorized under Section 27A-7.5 of the School Code. The sources do not support extending that statement to every Illinois charter school.
