Families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities in New Albany and Gahanna now have a new safety tool after Ohio's Joshua Alert law took effect Sept. 17.

New Albany-Plain Local School District alone serves more than 800 students with disabilities, including students with autism, according to the district. Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools also serves students with developmental disabilities across its 12 schools, though the district has not published a specific count.

House Bill 359 created the Joshua Alert system, which requires law enforcement to immediately notify the statewide system when a missing child with autism or another developmental disability faces a credible threat, which now includes being nonverbal or unable to seek help. The law eliminated a previous option that let police wait up to 24 hours before sending that notification. The 24-hour grace period still applies for missing children who do not have a developmental disability.

The law passed the Ohio Legislature unanimously. Gov. Mike DeWine signed it in June.

The alert system is named after Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., a 6-year-old boy from the Cincinnati area who had autism and was nonverbal. Joshua went missing from his home in 2024. His family called 911 and asked for an Amber Alert, but law enforcement said he did not meet the criteria, which require officers to believe an abduction occurred. An emergency notification was not distributed until about five hours after he was reported missing, NBC4 reported. Joshua was later found after drowning in a nearby pond.

His mother, Jonisa Cook, testified at an October 2025 Ohio House hearing that officers on the scene were supportive but lacked the right tools. "The officers were compassionate, supportive and did everything they could with the resources available to them," Cook said. "But that's exactly the problem — we don't currently have the right tools in place to respond quickly and effectively when a child with neurodevelopmental differences goes missing."

HB 359 also broadened the legal definition of "credible threat." The old standard required evidence of "immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death." The updated law clarifies that a credible threat includes cases where a missing child is nonverbal, has limited communication ability or otherwise cannot seek help.

More than a dozen people testified in favor of the bill during legislative hearings. No one testified against it. State Reps. Cecil Thomas, a Cincinnati Democrat, and Jennifer Gross, a West Chester Republican, sponsored the measure.

One key detail for families: Joshua Alerts are opt-in. Unlike Amber Alerts, they do not trigger automatic phone pop-ups. Ohio's missing persons alerts rely on text and email notifications, public signage and media distribution. Residents can sign up for Joshua Alerts through the Ohio Attorney General's website.

University Circle Police Chief Tom Wetzel told 10TV on Sept. 23 that police departments have limited manpower during searches and depend on community members to help find missing children.