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Senate passes sweeping school-safety bill creating statewide threat teams, funding for mental‑health specialists and new punishments
Summary
The Senate passed HB268 on March 31 after extended debate. The law requires behavioral threat assessment plans, funds student advocacy specialists depending on district size, mandates student training and anonymous reporting, and expands penalties for violent acts with firearms.
The Georgia Senate passed House Bill 268 by substitute on March 31, adopting a package of school-safety reforms and funding aimed at preventing and responding to violent incidents in schools. The bill passed by substitute on a recorded vote of 45-9.
The measure was presented on the floor as a comprehensive response to the Feb. 2025 shooting at Apalachee High School. “Let's don't let them die in vain,” the bill sponsor, the senator from the 40th/6th district who presented the legislation, said during floor remarks calling for a broad approach to prevention and response.
HB268 creates an Office of State Schools within the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) to provide technical assistance and develop statewide behavioral threat-management processes. It requires each public school safety plan to include…
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