The Ohio Senate passed the "Alianna Alert" bill, named after Alianna DeFreeze, on Wednesday.
The 14-year-old DeFreeze was murdered on her way to school in Cleveland last year.
“The events that took place surrounding the abduction and tragic death of Alianna DeFreeze are horrific, says the bill's co-sponsor, State Senator Sandra Williams of Cleveland. "It is also terrifying that Alianna’s family was unaware that she was missing from school for such a long period of time. I sponsored this legislation to take precautionary measures to ensure that every child is safe, specifically those students who are not transported by the school system.”
If passed into law, schools will have to call parents within two hours of school starting if their child doesn't show up. Alianna's family says it wasn't notified until the afternoon that she didn't make it to school.
“Time is a very important factor in finding a missing person. Senate Bill 82 does not aim to blame school districts for what happened to Alianna or other missing children across the state,” Senator Williams added. “It is simply designed to make sure that across Ohio parents are made aware when their children are not in school and can take quick, necessary action to find them if they don’t know where they are.”
The bill now heads to the House.