Georgia law directs GEMA/HS to provide school safety training and technical assistance to the education, emergency management and public safety communities of Georgia.

These services are provided through GEMA/HS. It is mandatory (O.C.G.A § 20-2-1185) that all public schools develop a safety plan addressing natural disasters, hazardous materials, transportation concerns, weapons and potential terrorist activities. These School Safety Plans are inclusive and require the input and commitment of students, parents and public safety agencies.

School safety plans shall include, at a minimum, the following strategy areas:

(1) Training school administrators, teachers, and support staff, including, but not limited to, school resource officers, security officers, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers, on school violence prevention, school security, school threat assessment, mental health awareness, and school emergency planning best practices;

(2) Evaluating and refining school security measures;

(3) Updating and exercising school emergency preparedness plans;

(4) Strengthening partnerships with public safety officials; and

(5) Creating enhanced crisis communications plans and social media strategies.

See exactly what’s required here.

​The Georgia Center for School Safety​ (GACSS) is a collaborative effort between the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to provide a clearinghouse for the dissemination of school safety resources, training, and technical assistance to Georgia schools and community partners.​ Learn more​.​​​​

During an emergency, schools face many challenges and demands. By law, each public school is requried to develop a school safety plan “to help curb the growing incidence of violence in schools, to respond effectively to such incidents, and to provide a safe learning environment for Georgia’s children, teachers, and other school personnel. Such plan shall also address preparedness for natural disasters, hazardous materials or radiological accidents, acts of violence, and acts of terrorism” (Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) § 20-2-1185).

This School Safety Plan guide and templates are designed to be resource tools to help schools develop their School Safety Plan.

Explore the guide here and the template here.

When creating your School Safety Plan, it’s important to assess where your school is currently at in terms of safety. The Georgia Department of Education has provided a School Safety Assessment guide to help evaluate important areas of safety in the school environment.

The level of safety in a school must be assessed using multiple indicators that apply to the total school environment. At a minimum, the assessment process will address the following:

• Safety and Security of Buildings and Grounds
• School Procedures/Guidelines
• Offenses/Consequences Outlined in the Student Code of Conduct
• Role of Law Enforcement/School Resource Officer (SRO)
• Mandatory Reporting of Criminal Activity to Law Enforcement
• Review of the Emergency/Crisis School Safety Plan
• Administrative Procedures
• Staff Development Opportunities Concerning Safety and Legal Responsibilities
• Federal Laws Concerning Students with Disabilities
• Procedures for Data Collection
• Review of Current Discipline Data
• Prevention/Intervention/Student Support Plans
• Opportunities for Student Involvement
• Opportunities for Parent Involvement
• School Climate Surveys

Explore the guide here.