(The Center Square) — A Georgia state lawmaker has expressed reservations about a measure Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed that proponents say will help keep teachers and students safe in the classroom.
In a news release, the governor’s office described House Bill 147, the Safe Schools Act, as a “key part of the governor’s legislative agenda this year” that “builds on his commitment to keeping Georgia’s students, teachers, and school personnel safe.”
The legislation updates school safety protocols, and advocates said it would give teachers the skills to protect students. It also creates the School Safety and Anti-gang Endorsement, a voluntary initiative proponents say will help teachers identify and deter gang activity and classroom recruitment.
In signing the measure, Kemp, a Republican, said it would “ensure our schools have the resources they need to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for both students and teachers.”
The measure takes effect July 1. By the end of the year, the state’s Professional Standards Commission and other state agencies, including the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, will develop the program’s details.
However, during a virtual town hall co-hosted with State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, last week, state Rep. Doreen Carter, D-Lithonia, said many teachers are pushing back on the legislation and additional mandates.
“We put a lot of mandates on teachers to teach, and now we want them to be police officers,” Carter said.
“I think there is an opportunity to address safety if we took a real stab at addressing mental health issues, but Georgia has not, and so I say that we continue to put Band-Aids on open flesh wounds, and this, to me, is another one,” the lawmaker added. “However, we had to do something, and this is what they came out with.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
