Georgia has rolled out a statewide behavioral threat assessment and management model for public and private K-12 schools, giving local educators a common framework for identifying concerning behavior, assessing risk and arranging intervention before a situation escalates. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency announced the formal rollout on Sept. 24 after several school systems had already participated in agency training.
The model is designed as a process schools can adapt to their own communities, not as a single checklist or disciplinary formula. GEMA/HS says the approach emphasizes early identification, systematic assessment and connection to appropriate resources. It also asks schools to build on existing student-welfare programs and partnerships rather than creating a stand-alone security structure disconnected from counseling, behavioral health or other supports.
Training is available from GEMA/HS upon request. Georgia’s Center for School Safety describes the offering as a six-hour course covering why violence prevention can work, the elements of an effective assessment-and-management program and practice handling cases involving potential threats. The center is a joint effort of the Georgia Department of Education and GEMA/HS, serving as a statewide hub for school-safety training, resources and technical assistance.
The rollout has been years in development. GEMA/HS says it began building the model about six years ago, reviewed federal guidance and other states’ practices, and created a trainer program in 2022. The agency reports that participating systems have used earlier versions of the training to intervene with people exhibiting concerning behavior, though its release does not identify those systems or publish case-level outcome data. That limits independent assessment of the results while the model expands statewide.
The framework also fits into Georgia’s broader school-safety requirements. A final legislative analysis of 2025’s HB 268 says school safety plans must include both behavioral-health strategies and a behavioral threat assessment and management process using GEMA/HS guidance. By Jan. 1, 2027, each public school plan must include a structured, multidisciplinary process to identify, assess and mitigate potential threats while supporting student and staff well-being. The legislative summary also directs GEMA/HS to coordinate training and technical assistance with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
A separate state resource explains how schools can connect threat assessment with Georgia’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports. The implementation guide, developed by the Department of Education with the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center, the national PBIS center and input from GEMA/HS, is intended to align safety work with existing layers of academic, behavioral and wellness support.
For school leaders, the immediate task is operational: determine who will serve on the multidisciplinary team, define how concerns move from reporting to assessment, document decisions, and identify local services that can support an intervention. The state model supplies a common structure, but implementation will still depend on staffing, training, information-sharing and access to behavioral-health resources in each community.
