The penultimate week of the 2025 Legislative Session began with both chambers in recess. The committee workday's main feature was a multi-hour hearing on HB 268, the House's marquee school safety bill.
School Safety Bill Heard in Purpose-Made Subcommittee
As a testament to the bill's complexity and importance, the Senate has formed a special Judiciary subcommittee to consider HB 268, by Rep. Holt Persinger (R-Winder). This subcommittee met today for several hours and heard from many speakers, including PAGE staff.
HB 268 creates a statewide student information database run by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to improve information sharing between school systems, law enforcement, and mental health professionals. HB 268 requires school systems to create threat management teams, include behavioral threat assessment management plans in school safety plans, and mandates that students receive instruction on violence prevention and suicide awareness. Other provisions include the creation of mental health coordinator positions, tax incentives for firearm storage equipment, and addressing those who make terroristic threats against schools.
PAGE Director of Legislative Services Margaret Ciccarelli spoke in support of the bill, stating that HB 268 addresses many of the top school safety recommendations expressed by PAGE-member educators in recent surveys.
Ciccarelli also shared several suggestions to further improve the bill. These include reporting timelines based on school days instead of business or calendar days, clarifying that S3 system data breaches must be done intentionally to incur punishments, modifying bill language to avoid unintentionally discouraging educators from proactively reporting security risks such as unlocked doors, and allowing the details of school security risk assessments to be discussed in school board executive sessions so as not to reveal sensitive information to bad actors.
Multiple other groups and individuals testified in support of and against HB 268. Much of the opposition centered around the S3 database and concerns about possible misuse or criminalization of students. In response, Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) suggested adding language preventing prosecutors from using this information.
HB 268 is expected to be heard by the full Senate Judiciary Committee later this week.
Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, March 25 - Legislative Day 35
2 p.m. House Ed, 506 CLOB
2 p.m. Senate Ed, 450 CAP
3 p.m. House Judiciary Non-Civil, 132 CAP
Wednesday, March 26 - Committee Workday
10 a.m. House Health, 406 CLOB
11 a.m. Senate Judiciary, 307 CLOB
1 p.m. Senate Public Safety, 405 CLOB
Thursday March 27 - Legislative Day 36
1 p.m. Senate Ed, 450 CAP
2 p.m. Senate Judiciary, 307 CLOB
Friday, March 28 - Legislative Day 37
7:30 a.m. Senate Public Safety, 450 CAP