Georgia lawmakers, Hold Persinger passed House Bill 268 in a vote of 159-13 on Tuesday, March 6, proposing measures to prevent violence in schools across the state.
The bill would require schools to participate in creating a student database, provide mental health support, and positions to oversee mental health treatment for students. Supporters of this bill say that this will allow schools to better identify potential threats and ensure protection.
“Having safer schools is incredibly important but our schools should already be safe,” said Jailey Ferrer, a sophomore mass communications major. “Staff members and students should be able to feel safe without the fear that their schools will be shot up using an automatic weapon that not a single American should be carrying outside of a gun range.”
Representative John Smith, a sponsor of the bill, proclaimed that the legislation was a response to the Apalachee High School shooting that injured multiple students.
If the bill passes through the Senate and is signed into law, the statewide student database could be in use by next year, but it will need a lot of funding and cooperation between the different school districts, law enforcement and mental health professionals.
Although the bill is a step toward preventing further school tragedies, some people are still distrustful about its ability to fully address the root causes of school violence. Some critics question whether the creation of the database and mental health information will lead to a positive change in student safety, especially in the communities that lack the resources.
“This bill is a good thing in retrospect,” Ferrer said. “The reason we even need these laws is because we do not have stricter gun laws which would prevent these massacres from happening.”
The statewide student database will store information about student’s disciplinary histories, mental health assessments, and law records. By having this data easily accessible, Georgia will be able to identify students at risk of having violent behavior.
Supporters of the bill argue that this will help educators and administrators gain a better understanding of students’ backgrounds and give them a chance to intervene before a bad situation.
In addition, the bill establishes a new position to oversee more mental health services in schools with the help of a grant from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health. The bill aims to make sure that students have access to different resources they need. This establishment within the bill will involve coordinating with the local mental health professionals to ensure the students are getting the proper support.
The bill will be implemented across Georgia’s public schools, with the local school districts having to create the new database. Schools will be required to submit relevant student information.
This system will be used to track down students who may need additional resources or attention, which will allow schools to intervene before a violent outcome. However, some have raised concerns about whether the database could lead to a complication with an invasion of the student’s privacy and could affect people with mental health challenges.
“The ethics are definitely shaky,” said Elizabeth Kiene, a sophomore political science major.
“I think that the safety of the students should absolutely come first but I feel like there are better ways to do it.”
Supporters of House Bill 268 hope that it will provide Georgia’s school district with the available tools to prevent future tragedies. By having easily accessible mental health services and a state-wide student database, they believe the bill can help create a safer environment for students and administrators.