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Committee passes school safety bill requiring panic-alerts and building mapping; private schools removed from mandate
Summary
Senate Bill 17, known as Ricky and Alyssa's Law, passed the committee as amended. The bill requires school panic-alert capability and creation of first-responder building maps; committee members amended the bill to remove private schools from the mandated requirements before voting.
The Senate Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 17, a school-safety measure that combines a mobile "panic alert" requirement with statewide first-responder building mapping for school properties. The bill passed after the committee adopted an amendment removing private schools from the statutory mandate.
Senator Anna Vittarde, the bill sponsor, described the measure as an enhancement to school safety following recent shootings. She said the bill builds on prior work that involved the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) and requires that school properties be assessed and that mapping information be made available to responding law enforcement and public-safety agencies. "This mapping requirement would basically take care of that so when those incidents happen ... that data is provided to law enforcement and public safety folks," Vittarde said.
The bill originally included private schools in the mandate. Several committee members raised concerns about imposing requirements on private schools that do not receive state school-safety grant funding and about cost and data-security implications. Alicia Wright, deputy executive director for GEMA Homeland Security, testified in opposition to carving out private schools, arguing that consistency matters for first responders and that excluding private schools could create a set of targets for bad actors. Wright said the agency’s review found the technology typically costs about $3,500 per school on average.
After debate, Representative (member) 29 offered an amendment removing "and private" from several lines of the bill language; the amendment passed. Committee members discussed liability language and noted that lines relieving liability for local boards would not automatically apply to private schools if private schools remained included — a point that motivated some members to support the amendment.
The committee then voted on a do-pass motion for the bill as amended; the motion carried. The sponsor indicated Representative Persinger, who represents the Apalachee area, was likely to carry the bill in the House.
Why it matters: The bill addresses two school-safety tools lawmakers have prioritized: panic-alert systems (sometimes called Alyssa's Law provisions) and interoperable mapping data for first responders. Supporters said the mapping and panic-alert components improve response times and situational awareness in emergencies. Opponents or concerned members flagged costs for smaller or private schools and the need to secure sensitive building data.
What's next: The committee passed the bill as amended and named a likely House carrier for further consideration.
