Georgia State Funding
State Funding
Georgia provides school-safety funding, legal requirements, and planning resources to help public schools improve security, strengthen emergency response, and support safer learning environments.
Safer Georgia Schools Grant
The Safer Georgia Schools Grant was a competitive grant opportunity for local educational agencies to support student health, school safety, and safer learning environments.
Eligible uses included professional development, emergency planning, mental-health supports, security-related programs, and school-safety technology. The grant also allowed reimbursement for approved crisis-alert programs and related hardware.
The reimbursement period for this grant ended on September 30, 2025, so schools should verify whether a new funding round is available before listing it as an active opportunity.
Governor’s School Safety and Security Funding
Georgia provides school-safety funding to public K–12 schools across the state. In early 2025, Governor Brian Kemp proposed, and the state approved, an additional $50 million in one-time school-safety funding.
This added approximately $21,635 per school on top of the annual $47,125 base amount, bringing the total available school-safety grant funding to approximately $68,760 per school for that year.
Funds may support locally identified safety needs connected to approved school-safety plans. Potential uses may include security improvements, emergency communication, safety training, mental-health supports, crisis counseling resources, and other measures designed to protect students, staff, and visitors.
Ricky and Alyssa’s Law
On April 28, 2025, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 268, which includes Ricky and Alyssa’s Law. The law recognizes Coach Richard “Ricky” William Aspinwall and Alyssa Alhadeff, and it adds new safety requirements for Georgia schools.
The law requires schools to keep accurate facility maps, use mobile panic alert systems, and provide an anonymous reporting option. It also includes provisions related to the timely transfer of student records and establishes new offenses involving school threats and acts committed against schools.
The goal of the law is to support faster emergency response, improve communication with first responders, and help schools recognize and respond to possible threats more quickly.
Georgia Center for School Safety
The Georgia Center for School Safety is a joint initiative of the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
The center functions as a statewide source for school safety resources, training, technical assistance, and planning support. It helps schools and community partners access information and guidance related to emergency preparedness, safety planning, threat prevention, and crisis response.
School Safety Plan Guide and Template
Georgia offers a School Safety Plan guide and template to assist public schools in developing or updating their required safety plans.
These tools help schools organize emergency procedures, define staff responsibilities, prepare for multiple types of incidents, and coordinate with public safety agencies.
The guide and template support compliance with Georgia’s school safety planning requirements while helping each school create a practical plan based on its own facilities, students, staff, and local emergency response partners.
Georgia School Safety Plans Law
Under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1185, every Georgia public school is required to create a school safety plan. These plans are designed to help reduce violence in schools, improve emergency response, and maintain a safer environment for students, teachers, and other school staff.
Each plan must address preparedness for emergencies such as natural disasters, hazardous materials or radiological incidents, acts of violence, and acts of terrorism.
At a minimum, Georgia school safety plans should include strategies for:
- training administrators, teachers, support staff, school resource officers, security officers, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers in school violence prevention, threat assessment, mental health awareness, school security, and emergency planning best practices;
- evaluating and improving existing school security measures;
- updating and practicing emergency preparedness procedures;
- building stronger partnerships with public safety agencies;
- enhancing crisis communication plans, including social media communication strategies.
Georgia public schools must also conduct drills with students, administrators, teachers, and other school personnel to practice the execution of their school safety plans.
School Safety Assessment
Before updating a School Safety Plan, schools should review their current safety conditions. Georgia’s assessment guidance helps schools evaluate key areas such as building and grounds security, school procedures, student conduct, law enforcement roles, emergency plans, staff training, reporting requirements, student supports, parent and student involvement, discipline data, and school climate surveys.
The assessment helps identify safety gaps, set priorities, and ensure the final plan reflects the real needs of the school community.
View the guide here.
The funding information and links provided on this page are based on publicly available information at the time of publication. While we make every effort to keep this resource current and relevant, funding programs, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and website links may change over time. If you discover outdated information, inaccurate content, or a broken link, please let us know by emailing info@carehawk.com.