via Wkyc:
A bill meant named for Alianna DeFreeze, the Cleveland 14-year-old who was tragically murdered on her way to school in 2017, is on its way to Gov. John Kasich’s desk.
The “Alianna Alert” provision was added last week to another bill, House Bill 66. It passed the Ohio Senate by a vote of 32-0 and then the Ohio House of Representatives 85-4, and State Sen. Sandra Williams says Kasich is expected to sign the bill into law.
“I am pleased that the Ohio General Assembly voted to pass Alianna’s Alert,” state Sen. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland), a primary sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “Hopefully this bill will help prevent any other child on their way to school from dying at the hands of a violent perpetrator.”
According to the bill, 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.
Williams told WKYC she called Alianna’s family upon the news of the bill’s passage. In a statement posted on Facebook, Alianna’s father Damon said, “Change starts with us.”
“It’s been a long, hard struggle,” Sen. Williams further stated. “I’m elated.”
Christopher Whitaker was later convicted of raping and killing Alianna. He was sentenced to death for his crimes.
