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Document Type

Peach Sheet

Abstract

The Act, prompted by the September 4, 2024, Apalachee High School shooting, establishes sweeping safety, health, and wellness reforms for Georgia schools. The Act (1) requires every public school to install an Alyssa’s Alert mobile panic-alarm system integrated with 911 and first responders by July 1, 2026; (2) mandates secure Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) standardized digital campus maps for emergency use; (3) authorizes GEMA to launch a statewide threat-reporting alert network and obliges schools to adopt formal threat assessment plans; (4) orders immediate transfer of disciplinary and behavioral records when students change districts; (5) funds “qualified student advocacy specialists” to support at-risk students; (6) mandates annual suicide awareness and youth violence prevention training for grades six through twelve; (7) requires high need schools to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) programs; and (8) strengthens security laws by creating the crimes of terroristic threat or act against a school and requiring suspension plus counseling for students making credible threats. The Act also updates the Parents’ Bill of Rights to protect parental record access and demands interagency agreements to ensure secure information sharing among schools, law enforcement, and other agencies.

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