


Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed a Georgia school safety bill that includes provisions aimed at better detecting and preventing threats from students, but it does not include a sweeping database of students’ behaviors.
The Georgia governor signed a slate of bills Monday, including House Bill 268, which will mandate schools have mobile panic alert systems, the quick movement of student records upon transferring schools, and school boards to offer an anonymous reporting program, among other changes to state law.
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The law does not include a controversial provision in early drafts of the legislation that would have created a database to “collect and integrate data to evaluate the behavior of students who may pose a threat to the school, school staff, or students” shared between school officials, law enforcement, and mental health officials.
“As the parents of three daughters, Marty and I know just how important it is to keep our children safe and to give them the best possible start in life,” Kemp said in a statement Monday. “That’s why I’m proud to sign these bills that will further safeguard our classrooms, both from those with violent intentions and from out-of-touch political agendas.”
The legislation was signed into law less than a year after the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School, which left four people dead and nine others injured.
“Today, the General Assembly affirmed our longstanding and ongoing commitment to the safety, success, and well-being of Georgia’s children,” GOP state House Speaker Jon Burns said in a statement. “Our children are our future, and their future begins in our education system.”
“That’s why securing our classrooms, strengthening school safety, and increasing access to mental healthcare for our students was a top priority for the House this session, and that’s exactly what HB 268 accomplishes,” Burns added.
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Among the other school-related bills Kemp signed was Senate Bill 1, also known as the Riley Gaines Act, which prevents biological males from competing in women’s sports in the Peach State.
“Girls should not have to share a playing field, a restroom, or a locker room with boys and vice versa, and the commonsense legislation I signed today is about what is fair and safe for our children,” Kemp said in a statement. “I want to thank the members of the General Assembly for putting the well-being of our students over politics.”