VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - A Georgia school safety law that takes effect next school year requires schools to set up an anonymous reporting system where students or staff can report any concerning information to law enforcement.

The Georgia school safety law requires complete student records to follow students from district to district in direct response to the shooting at Apalachee High School.

Investigators say 14-year-old Colt Gray was enrolled on Aug.14, then missed nine days of school before taking a rifle and knife in his backpack on Sept. 4.

The law will also require 180 of Georgia’s school districts to set up an anonymous reporting system statewide.

At Valdosta City Schools (VCS), students can report threats anonymously through an internal security system.

“Law enforcement is contacted immediately because you don’t know whether it is a threat or it is serious. So, they are notified at the same time, and then an investigation is conducted,” said Sabrina Smith, VCS safety and security director.

VCS says in many cases threats via social media are reported overnight and resolved, but that does not change the impact it has on the students and campus.

“And that’s how our student code of conduct is written. It’s not just about what’s said, it’s about how it is taken. And that’s how the law is written. It’s how another person feels, and if they perceived it as a threat, then that’s how we proceed,” said Smith.

After experiencing an active shooter hoax in November 2022, the district revised its communication policies to limit chaos.

|READ MORE: ‘Elaborate hoax’ of active shooter at Valdosta High leaves community shaken|

“When is the decision made to make that public or notify the community about this threat or situation?” WALB asked.

“Typically, if it comes to me, then we have been notified that is a credible threat. And with a credible threat, it is our responsibility to notify our students, staff, and the community around us,” said Jennifer Steedley, VCS director of public relations.

“And when we do the release, it will be based on the incident and not the student, so we will not release information to maintain that privacy because we are not able to do that,” said Smith.

However, this new law will require the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to create a database of students who’ve threatened violence or committed violence at schools.

We’ll be following progress on these systems over the next calendar year.

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