Status: Failed — Died at Sine Die Adjournment of the 126th General Assembly (2025-2026 Session). The bill passed the House unanimously, cleared Senate Education on March 25, 2026, and saw floor amendments adopted April 1, 2026, but never received a final Senate vote before adjournment. A refiled version is expected in the 2027-2028 session.
Bill Number: SC H. 3258 (2025-2026 Session)
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Category: School Safety, Panic Alert Systems
Industries: K-12 Education
Enacted Date: N/A (pending Senate floor passage and Governor action)
Effective Date: Before July 1, 2028 (as amended April 1, 2026 – pushed back two years from the original July 1, 2026 compliance date)
Summary: South Carolina H. 3258 would require each public school district and charter school to acquire and implement a mobile panic alert system before July 1, 2028. The system must connect emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between local and state law enforcement and first responder agencies, and integrate with the local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) infrastructure. Lori Alhadeff, mother of Parkland shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, testified in support of the bill before the Senate Education Committee.
Recent Legislative Activity: On April 1, 2026, the Senate committee adopted an amendment and the bill was amended. The amendment extended the compliance deadline from July 1, 2026 to before July 1, 2028, giving districts a substantially longer runway for procurement, implementation, and PSAP integration. The bill currently resides in the Senate awaiting second and third readings. Because South Carolina runs a two-year legislative session (2025-2026), the bill remains active.
Requirements: Mobile panic alert system in each public school; 911 integration and real-time coordination with law enforcement; PSAP infrastructure integration; SC Department of Education to identify qualified vendors.
Compliance Deadline: Before July 1, 2028 (amended).
Affected Entities: All South Carolina public school districts and charter schools.
IntelliSee Relevance: Medium – the extended 2028 deadline gives South Carolina districts more runway to plan proactive safety investments. IntelliSee’s AI-powered threat detection and automated emergency response integration align with the bill’s PSAP and multi-agency coordination requirements.
Note: Compliance deadline updated April 17, 2026 to reflect the Senate committee amendment adopted April 1, 2026. Original bill proposed July 1, 2026 compliance.