School Safety

Natural, manmade and technological events are forcing Americans to change their way of thinking about securing our nation’s top investment—children. 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. House Bill 147, also known as the Safe Schools Act, was passed in April 2023 and mandated certain requirements of public schools across the state to enhance school safety. These requirements include:

• Developing a school safety and anti-gang endorsement through the Professional Standards Commission that uses multidisciplinary best practices.
• School safety plans must be submitted to GEMA/HS for review.
  • Must cover preparedness for natural disasters, hazardous materials, acts of violence and/or terrorism, violence prevention, threat assessment, and mental health awareness.
  • Developed with input from school safety partners from multiple disciplines.
  • Exercised and evaluated.
• Intruder alert drills must be completed by all public schools annually and then reported to GEMA/HS.

Georgia School Safety and Homeland Security Conference

These requirements can be advanced by attending the annual Georgia School Safety and Homeland Security Conference taking place in Columbus, GA from June 3-5, 2024!

GEMA/HS' modified conference schedule now makes Day 1 (June 3) focused solely on professional training which will allow POST officers to work toward their annual training requirements and educators to work toward obtaining the School Safety and Anti Gang Endorsement.

• Courses that can be expected on Day 1 include:
  • Georgia Department of Education discussing the Seal of Preparedness and discussing mandatory drills and exercises.
  • Stop the Bleed
  • Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management
  • De-escalation
  • Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
  • Visual Weapons Detection
  • Community Policing
  • Use of Force

Days 2 and 3 of the conference also offer general and breakout sessions from experts in the field of school safety, unique and valuable training opportunities combined in one convenient location. Networking opportunities will also be available, helping connect professionals with other professionals and perspectives.

Click here to register. The $150 registration fee covers three days of training and lunch for two days. The registration form and payment details can be found at www.gaschoolsafety.com. Hotel conference rates and other logistical information will be distributed via email and the conference app afterward.

Vendors also play a vital role in our conference by connecting attendees with the services and products needed to help enhance their school safety environment. Register here to reserve your spot as a vendor, and network with decision-makers. Visit www.homelandsecurityvendors.com for more information.