HB 147 Safe School Act (1) (1)

     23                                                                            LC 49 1174-EC

     House Bill 147
     By: Representatives Wade of the 9th, Jones of the 47th, Dubnik of the 29th, Erwin of the 32nd,
     Hitchens of the 161st, and others




                                     A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                               AN ACT
 1   To amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
 2   elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for a school safety and anti-gang
 3   endorsement for eligible certificated professional personnel issued by the Professional
 4   Standards Commission; to require school safety plans to be submitted to the Georgia
 5   Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to require intruder alert drills in
 6   all public schools in this state; to require public schools to report completion of such drills
 7   to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to provide for
 8   parents and guardians to opt their children out of such drills; to provide for a definition; to
 9   provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
10   other purposes.


11             BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:


12                                           SECTION 1.
13   This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Safe Schools Act."




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14                                            SECTION 2.
15   Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and
16   secondary education, is amended in Subpart 1 of Part 6 of Article 6, relating to certificated
17   professional personnel, by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
18    "20-2-209.1.
19    (a) No later than December 31, 2023, the Professional Standards Commission, in
20    consultation with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency,
21    the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, shall
22    create a school safety and anti-gang endorsement for eligible certificated professional
23    personnel, as determined pursuant to rules and regulations of the Professional Standards
24    Commission, who elect to complete a training program, approved by the Professional
25    Standards Commission, in multidisciplinary best practices for promoting and preserving
26    safe schools and for identifying and deterring youth gangs.
27    (b) The Professional Standards Commission, in consultation with the Georgia Emergency
28    Management and Homeland Security Agency, shall establish measures to assess the fidelity
29    of training and implementation for individuals who receive the school safety and anti-gang
30    endorsement.
31        (c)(1) All eligible certificated professional personnel, as determined pursuant to rules and
32        regulations of the Professional Standards Commission, who are employed in a public
33        school in this state, complete a school safety and anti-gang training program approved by
34        the Professional Standards Commission, and provide to the Professional Standards
35        Commission verification of such completion from an approved provider shall receive the
36        school safety and anti-gang endorsement.
37        (2) Postsecondary educational institutions with a teacher certification program approved
38        by the Professional Standards Commission are encouraged to include training in
39        multidisciplinary best practices for promoting and preserving safe schools and for
40        identifying and deterring youth gangs in such program."


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41                                             SECTION 3.
42   Said chapter is further amended in Article 27, relating to loitering at or disrupting schools,
43   by revising subsections (a) and (e) of Code Section 20-2-1185, relating to school safety plans
44   and drills, as follows:
45    "(a) Every public school shall prepare a school safety plan to help curb the growing
46    incidence of violence in schools, to respond effectively to such incidents, and to provide
47    a safe learning environment for Georgia's children, teachers, and other school personnel.
48    Such plan shall also address preparedness for natural disasters, hazardous materials or
49    radiological accidents, acts of violence, and acts of terrorism. School safety plans of public
50    schools shall be prepared with input from students enrolled in that school, parents or legal
51    guardians of such students, teachers in that school, community leaders, other school
52    employees and school district employees, and local law enforcement, juvenile court, fire
53    service, public safety, and emergency management agencies. As part of such plans, public
54    schools shall provide for the coordination with local law enforcement agencies and the
55    local juvenile court system. School safety plans shall include, at a minimum, the following
56    strategy areas:
57        (1) Training school administrators, teachers, and support staff, including, but not limited
58        to, school resource officers, security officers, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers, on
59        school violence prevention, school security, school threat assessment, mental health
60        awareness, and school emergency planning best practices;
61        (2) Evaluating and refining school security measures;
62        (3) Updating and exercising school emergency preparedness plans;
63        (4) Strengthening partnerships with public safety officials; and
64        (5) Creating enhanced crisis communications plans and social media strategies.
65    School safety plans of private schools may be prepared with input from students enrolled
66    in that school, parents or legal guardians of such students, teachers in that school, other
67    school employees, and local law enforcement, fire service, public safety, and emergency


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68    management agencies. Such plans shall be reviewed and, if necessary, updated annually.
69    Such plans of public schools shall be submitted to the local emergency management
70    agency, and the local law enforcement agency, and the Georgia Emergency Management
71    and Homeland Security Agency for approval."
72        "(e)(1) Every public school shall conduct drills with students, school administrators,
73        teachers, and other school personnel on the execution of school safety plans in such form
74        and at such intervals based upon guidance from the Georgia Emergency Management and
75        Homeland Security Agency.
76        (2) By October 1 of each school year, every public school shall conduct an intruder alert
77        drill for students, school administrators, teachers, and other school personnel based upon
78        guidance from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
79        Each local school system or public school governing body shall promptly report to the
80        Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency the completion of such
81        drills. All students shall participate in intruder alert drills provided for in this paragraph;
82        provided, however, that the governing body of a local school system or public school may
83        provide an option for a child's parent or legal guardian to elect, in writing, that such child
84        not participate in intruder alert drills. As used in this paragraph, the term 'intruder alert
85        drill' means a set of procedures designed to familiarize the occupants of a building with
86        ways to protect themselves against potential threats posed by an intruder who possesses
87        or is suspected of possessing a weapon, as defined in Code Section 20-2-742."


88                                              SECTION 4.
89   All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.




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