ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta lawmaker wants to require every public school teacher and administrator in Georgia to be equipped with a mobile panic button.
Apalachee High School just implemented a similar system a week before the shooting that left four dead.
Barrow County’s sheriff said that alert got them to the school quickly and probably saved more lives.
Now that lawmaker wants to see them everywhere.
“Basically, requires schools across the state to have mobile panic alert systems,” state Sen. Jason Anavitarte said about his bill.
Anavitarte wants every public school in Georgia equipped with those mobile panic alert systems. His plan got a hearing in a senate committee Thursday.
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That panic button would not only alert 911 and other first responders, it would also give out that person’s exact location.
The bill would also require school mapping and communications between different first responders.
“So, when a first responder shows up to the school then they know exactly where the person is, who needs help and basically, it’s saving time off the clock to basically save lives,” Anavitarte said
State Sen. Emmanuel Jones thinks it’s a good idea, but the thinks some phone apps can do the same thing.
“I think that’s a good start,” Jones said.
He spent the summer chairing a committee looking into ways to keep firearms out of children’s hands, so he thinks we can’t really keep kids safe without also talking about reducing the number of guns.
“We’ve got to be talking about reductions in firearms in this great state, and limit access to firearms as well particularly young people. That’s part of it and it’s critical,” Jones said.
The bill passed out of committee on Thursday, so it could move to the full Senate for a vote soon.
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