Status: Enacted — Signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on May 19, 2025. Passed both chambers of the Washington State Legislature unanimously.
Bill Number: WA SB 5004 (Engrossed Substitute, 2025-2026 Session)
Jurisdiction: Washington
Category: School Safety (Alyssa's Law)
Industries: K-12 Education
Enacted Date: May 19, 2025 (signed by Governor Bob Ferguson)
Effective Date: Initial district progress report due to OSPI by October 1, 2025; OSPI report to Legislature due December 1, 2025. Implementation continues through 2026-2027.
What Alyssa's Law — Washington (SB 5004) Requires
Washington State's Alyssa's Law, Senate Bill 5004, was signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson on May 19, 2025 after passing both chambers of the Washington State Legislature unanimously. SB 5004 makes Washington the ninth state to enact a version of Alyssa's Law, named in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a student killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting.
SB 5004 takes a flexibility-oriented approach: rather than mandating a single panic-button technology, the law requires each school district to coordinate with local law enforcement, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), and designated safety and security staff to develop an emergency response system tailored to its specific needs. A compliant emergency response system may include panic or alert buttons connecting to school administration, school district staff, and emergency responders; live video or audio feed accessible to law enforcement, the school district, and the school; or a system that complies with applicable state building code requirements for Group E occupancies.
Washington's final capital budget secured $12 million for school security grants — funding that can support installation of panic button systems, infrastructure updates, and other qualifying safety enhancements. School districts, charter schools, and Skill Center Tech Education Centers (STECs) were required to report progress implementing emergency response systems to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) by October 1, 2025. OSPI was required to report to the Legislature by December 1, 2025 on the types of systems being deployed.
Who Must Comply
SB 5004 applies to all public school districts in Washington, including K-12 elementary, middle, and high schools. Charter schools authorized under Washington's charter school act and Skill Center Tech Education Centers (STECs) are also subject to the mandate. The law covers both existing and newly constructed school buildings.
District superintendents and school principals are responsible for ensuring systems are evaluated, installed, operational, and regularly tested. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides implementation guidelines, coordinates state-level funding mechanisms, and tracks compliance across districts. Local law enforcement agencies are required to participate in coordination planning and joint testing exercises with their corresponding school districts.
How IntelliSee Supports Compliance
IntelliSee strengthens Washington schools' implementation of SB 5004 by adding an autonomous, AI-driven detection layer that operates continuously without human intervention. While panic alarm systems depend on a staff member recognizing a threat and manually triggering an alert, IntelliSee's AI gun detection monitors existing security cameras around the clock and identifies visible weapons in real time — sending instant notifications to designated personnel and law enforcement.
This technology directly addresses the most dangerous scenario in any school emergency: the seconds between when a threat enters a building and when someone is able to activate a panic button. IntelliSee eliminates that gap by detecting threats the moment they become visible on camera, providing earlier warning that can save lives. Because SB 5004 contemplates emergency response systems that include “live video or audio feed that law enforcement, the school district, and the school can access,” IntelliSee’s detection-and-alert architecture aligns naturally with the statutory framework.
The platform operates on existing camera infrastructure with no additional hardware required, uses no facial recognition technology to protect student and staff privacy, and provides responding officers with real-time visual context about the nature and location of a threat.