Greene County board to adopt Sandy Hook Promise system to comply with Georgia House Bill 268

The Greene County Board of Education on May 21 approved moving forward with a partnership with Sandy Hook Promise to implement the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System and associated training to comply with Georgia House Bill 268 (Ricky and Alyssa's Law). Ms. LaForce told the board the law requires a district-wide anonymous reporting system that is accessible by app, hotline and website and staffed 24/7 by trained crisis professionals.

"This law...represents a significant step forward in school safety," Ms. LaForce said, walking the board through the system's features, which include multilingual support, a nationally accredited crisis center that triages tips, and immediate escalation to 911 for life-safety threats. She said the district received a formal no-cost quote that lists a total service value of $37,836; donors to Sandy Hook Promise offset that cost so the district would not incur expenditure.

Officer Moore and staff described how tips deemed life-safety would trigger the crisis center's protocol to contact 911 and notify district teams simultaneously. Staff said the program also supplies curriculum and supports creation of student-led Say Something clubs and annual suicide and youth-violence prevention training for middle and high school grades. Ms. LaForce noted the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) has reviewed the platform and determined it meets the law's reporting requirements.

Board members asked how the system integrates with local emergency services and whether districts ever pay for additional services; staff answered that the crisis center determines urgency, errs on the side of caution, and will call 911 when necessary, with district alerts sent concurrently. The presenter said the package offered to Greene County is no-cost to the district because services are donor-funded, though the agenda included the quoted dollar value to document scope.

The board did not take a separate funding vote for the program and staff stated there is no required budget commitment. Next steps described by staff included finalizing the agreement, onboarding, staff training, and a community awareness rollout so the system is live by the July 1 statutory deadline.

The board's approval moves the district toward compliance with HB 268 while expanding its existing mental-health and reporting tools.