FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 31, 2025

ATLANTA | Today, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones released statements praising the final passage of House Bill 268, a comprehensive school safety plan developed by the Georgia General Assembly in response to the tragic loss of four Georgians during a school shooting at Apalachee High School last September. 

“As legislators, we have no higher calling than to provide every student across our state with a safe and secure learning environment—and today’s passage of House Bill 268 affirms our commitment to doing just that,” said Speaker Jon Burns. “This legislation is the result of months of collaboration with educators, students, parents, school administrators and law enforcement agencies to develop a comprehensive school safety plan that addresses the security needs of our school buildings, prioritizes the mental health of Georgia’s students and ensures we take proactive measures to keep our children safe.” 

“The security and well-being of Georgia’s students and teachers is an initiative I am proud the Georgia General Assembly could agree on,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “As a father of one middle schooler and one high schooler, there is nothing more important than the safety and security needs of our schools, students, and staff. A secure and safe school environment fosters improved student academic performance, along with their overall wellbeing. I am proud that in Georgia we are prioritizing our children, teachers, and school personnel over politics.”

Below are the specific policies established by House Bill 268: 

Requires all relevant student records, including education and disciplinary records, to be shared with the receiving school in a given time frame when a student transfers between school districts. 

Allows for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to establish a statewide alert system to report and monitor incidents of safety threats made against schools.

Requires schools to adopt threat assessment plans to provide a structured, multidisciplinary process to identify, assess and mitigate potential threats to schools while supporting the safety and well-being of students and school personnel. 

Requires all public schools to implement a mobile panic alert system, much like the system used at Apalachee, which we know saved countless lives and prevented a much larger tragedy. 

Creates “qualified student advocacy specialist” positions and grants to fund these positions for local school systems.

Requires that students in sixth grade and above receive an hour of suicide awareness and prevention training, as well as one hour of youth violence prevention training annually. 

Requires all high-needs schools to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), which are proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety and support improved academic outcomes.

Increases penalties for terroristic acts and requires schools to suspend and provide counseling to students who make credible threats.

For more information regarding the school safety measures established by House Bill 268, please visit the following link: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69929

Contact

Policy and Communications Director Ines Owens

[email protected]