Georgia Governor Signs School Safety Law After Apalachee High Shooting

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has signed House Bill 268, a comprehensive school safety law inspired by the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School, which left two students and two teachers dead. The law requires police to notify schools when they learn a child has threatened violence, enforces quicker transfers of student records between schools, and establishes an anonymous statewide reporting system for threats. It mandates that public schools provide staff with wearable panic buttons and submit updated campus maps to authorities annually. The bill also creates a new mental health coordinator position in each district and makes adult prosecution the default for students aged 13 to 16 charged with certain violent crimes at school. While an initially proposed student-tracking database was scaled back following bipartisan criticism, a statewide alert system will flag students investigated for threats or acts of violence. Supporters, including victims' families, emphasize that collaboration among agencies and effective implementation are crucial for the law’s success.