| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 39 4489 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Senate Bill 54 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Senators Jones of the 10th, Jones II of the 22nd, Sims of the 12th, Lucas of the 26th, |
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| 4 | 4 | | Orrock of the 36th and others |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | To amend Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1 |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to state board of education, so as to require the establishment of a program and2 |
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| 10 | 10 | | state-wide database by the State Board of Education relating to threats to safety made on or3 |
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| 11 | 11 | | impacting school campuses; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for4 |
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| 12 | 12 | | other purposes.5 |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1.7 |
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| 15 | 15 | | Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state8 |
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| 16 | 16 | | board of education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:9 |
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| 17 | 17 | | "20-2-20.1. |
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| 18 | 18 | | 10 |
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| 19 | 19 | | (a) No later than July 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall establish an emergency11 |
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| 20 | 20 | | alert response system to be provided to public elementary and secondary schools in this12 |
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| 21 | 21 | | state that allows:13 |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) School administration to notify law enforcement of threats made on or impacting a14 |
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| 23 | 23 | | school campus;15 |
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| 24 | 24 | | S. B. 54 |
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| 25 | 25 | | - 1 - 25 LC 39 4489 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) School administration to notify local emergency first responders of an active threat16 |
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| 27 | 27 | | to safety upon a school campus; and17 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) A public elementary or secondary school to communicate with neighboring local18 |
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| 29 | 29 | | school systems about threats made on or impacting a school campus or emergency19 |
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| 30 | 30 | | procedures initiated upon a school campus due to an active threat to safety.20 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) No later than July 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall establish a secure21 |
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| 32 | 32 | | state-wide database for use by public elementary and secondary schools in this state to22 |
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| 33 | 33 | | report and monitor incidents of safety threats made on or impacting a school campus. The23 |
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| 34 | 34 | | name of any person who threatens the safety of a school shall be included in such database;24 |
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| 35 | 35 | | provided, however, that no student shall be entered on any such database until the threat25 |
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| 36 | 36 | | to school safety has been investigated and verified by local law enforcement and the26 |
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| 37 | 37 | | student has been evaluated by a certificated school social worker from the local school27 |
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| 38 | 38 | | system, if any are employed by the school system. The State Board of Education shall28 |
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| 39 | 39 | | develop standards for determining when a verified threat qualifies for inclusion of a person29 |
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| 40 | 40 | | within the database and a method for petitioning for removal from any database developed30 |
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| 41 | 41 | | pursuant to this subsection. Any such removal standards shall include a required31 |
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| 42 | 42 | | evaluation of the student by a certified school social worker. Such database shall be32 |
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| 43 | 43 | | accessible only to designated personnel at each public elementary or secondary school in33 |
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| 44 | 44 | | this state. When a student has been added to the database established pursuant to this34 |
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| 45 | 45 | | subsection, the local school system shall provide the parents or guardians of the student35 |
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| 46 | 46 | | with recommendations for counseling services and provide the student with available36 |
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| 47 | 47 | | specialized mental health services while in school.37 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (c) The State Board of Education shall be authorized to consult with the Georgia38 |
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| 49 | 49 | | Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the Georgia Bureau of39 |
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| 50 | 50 | | Investigation, and local boards of education and other elementary and secondary school40 |
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| 51 | 51 | | governing bodies for purposes of this Code section."41 |
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| 52 | 52 | | S. B. 54 |
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| 53 | 53 | | - 2 - 25 LC 39 4489 |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 42 |
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| 56 | 56 | | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.43 |
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| 57 | 57 | | S. B. 54 |
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| 58 | 58 | | - 3 - |
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