ORLANDO, Fla. — A pair of Dr. Phillips High School students said they hope state lawmakers will consider their ideas for making schools safer.
Next week, they will present their proposed legislation, which includes installing BluePoint alarms in classrooms and hallways.
The silent alarms flash a blue strobe light and notify police in the event of a shooting.
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They can be activated by pulling a lever, pressing a button on a lanyard or using a cellphone app. Gunfire also activates the alarm.
Angel Hernandez-Nieves and Devon Lynn generated their proposal after spending months studying the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"Once the alarm goes off, police are notified, and it notifies building occupants simultaneously," Hernandez-Nieves said.
Some Orange County students want the #FLleg to consider their ideas for making schools safer. On @WFTV at 5:15, we're sitting down with two 16-year-olds who wrote a bill about implementing theses silent @BluePoint_Alert systems in schools to warn of an active shooter! pic.twitter.com/FoJnELxrdu
— Lauren Seabrook (@LSeabrookWFTV) January 17, 2019
"We never want it to actually have to be used, but in the case that it is, we know this can save lives," Lynn said.
State Sen. Victor Torres told Channel 9 on Thursday that the students have a good idea and that he would consider working with them to make their bill clean and precise so it could be passed.
Some legislators said the alarm system could be too costly for school districts to install, but they are currently being used in more than 150 schools nationwide.
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