Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns introduced school-safety legislation Monday stemming from last year’s school shooting in Barrow County that killed two teachers and two students.
The comprehensive proposal calls for improvements in information sharing among schools through a new anonymous app, increases penalties for those who make terroristic threats, and provides tax incentives to encourage gun owners to purchase firearm safety storage devices.
The House bill requires the establishment of a statewide student information sharing database to allow the timely transfer of pertinent student data between school systems, law enforcement officials, and mental health-care professionals. The legislation also would require schools to use an anonymous reporting app where tips could be evaluated quickly and provided to law enforcement and the necessary personnel across the state as needed. The measure would provide for the mandatory suspension of students who make threats until law enforcement and school personnel determine the student is cleared to return to school.
