Georgia’s House Bill 268, enacted in 2025 following the tragic Apalachee High School shooting, is a game-changer for school safety. While the bill focuses on behavioral threat assessments, emergency alert systems, and student well-being, its ripple effects extend to visitor management—a critical component of any school’s safety strategy. At STOPware, Inc., we understand the importance of secure, efficient visitor management, and we’re here to help Georgia schools align their visitor protocols with HB 268’s requirements. Here’s what the bill means for your school’s visitor management plan and how our PassagePoint solutions can help.
Understanding HB 268’s Key Provisions
HB 268 introduces several mandates to enhance school safety, each with implications for visitor management:
Behavioral Threat Assessment Management Plans
Schools must implement multidisciplinary plans to identify, assess, and mitigate potential threats. This includes screening for risks posed by students, staff, or external individuals.
Impact on Visitor Management: Your visitor management system needs to integrate with threat assessment protocols, ensuring visitors are screened for potential risks before entering school grounds.Mobile Panic Alert System (Alyssa’s Alert)
By July 1, 2026, schools must deploy a mobile panic alert system for real-time coordination with first responders during emergencies.
Impact on Visitor Management: Visitor protocols must account for emergencies, ensuring visitors are managed safely during lockdowns or evacuations triggered by the alert system.School Mapping Data
Schools are required to provide detailed mapping data to first responders, meeting standards set by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA).
Impact on Visitor Management: Accurate mapping enhances visitor tracking, allowing schools to direct visitors to safe zones or restrict access to sensitive areas.Information Sharing and Student Records
The bill mandates faster transfer of student records, including behavioral data, and improves information sharing with law enforcement.
Impact on Visitor Management: Visitor data must be securely logged and shareable with threat management teams or authorities, while complying with privacy laws like FERPA and HIPAA.Mental Health and Threat Management Teams
Schools must establish mental health coordinators and threat management teams to address risks and intervene early.
Impact on Visitor Management: These teams may review visitor policies to ensure they align with safety goals, such as flagging individuals with a history of disruptive behavior.
How HB 268 Shapes Your Visitor Management Plan
While HB 268 doesn’t directly regulate visitor management, its focus on proactive safety and emergency preparedness requires schools to strengthen their visitor protocols. Here’s how your school can adapt:
Robust Visitor Screening: Implement systems that verify visitor identities against watchlists or threat databases, aligning with HB 268’s threat assessment focus.
Emergency Integration: Update visitor protocols to include procedures for managing visitors during Alyssa’s Alert activations, such as directing them to secure areas.
Data Security and Compliance: Ensure visitor logs are secure, shareable with authorities when needed, and compliant with FERPA and HIPAA to address privacy concerns raised by critics of the bill.
Staff Training: Train front-office staff to recognize behavioral red flags in visitors, supporting the bill’s emphasis on early intervention.
Mapping Integration: Use school mapping data to enhance visitor tracking, ensuring visitors are directed to appropriate areas and accounted for during emergencies.
How STOPware’s PassagePoint Can Help
At STOPware, Inc., our PassagePoint visitor management solutions are designed to meet the evolving safety needs of schools, including those driven by HB 268. Here’s how PassagePoint aligns with the bill’s requirements:
Advanced Screening Capabilities: PassagePoint instantly checks visitor IDs against national sex offender registries, custom watchlists, or school-specific banned visitor lists, ensuring compliance with threat assessment mandates.
Emergency Preparedness: Our system integrates with emergency protocols, allowing schools to print visitor badges with designated safe zones and track visitor locations in real time during Alyssa’s Alert activations.
Secure Data Management: PassagePoint securely logs visitor data, enabling quick reporting for threat management teams or law enforcement while maintaining FERPA and HIPAA compliance.
Customizable Workflows: Tailor PassagePoint to flag high-risk visitors or restrict access to sensitive areas based on GEMA-compliant school mapping data.
User-Friendly Interface: Easy-to-use check-in processes and staff training modules ensure your team is equipped to manage visitors effectively, supporting HB 268’s proactive safety goals.
Addressing Challenges and Community Concerns
HB 268 has sparked debate, with critics like Freedom in Education highlighting potential privacy violations due to expanded data sharing. Schools must balance safety with privacy by using systems like PassagePoint, which encrypts visitor data and ensures compliance with federal regulations. Additionally, the bill’s implementation may strain budgets, but STOPware offers scalable solutions to fit schools of all sizes, maximizing safety without breaking the bank.
Engaging your community is also key. Transparent communication about your visitor management updates can address concerns about overly restrictive policies, ensuring stakeholder buy-in.
Take Action Today
Georgia’s House Bill 268 is a call to action for schools to prioritize safety, and visitor management is a critical piece of the puzzle. With STOPware’s PassagePoint, your school can meet HB 268’s requirements while creating a secure, welcoming environment for visitors. Whether you’re upgrading an existing system or starting fresh, our team is here to help you navigate these changes.
Ready to enhance your visitor management plan? Contact STOPware, Inc. today for a free demo of PassagePoint and see how we can support your school’s compliance with HB 268. Visit www.stopware.com or call us at 1-800-555-1234 to get started.
Stay safe, stay secure, and let STOPware help you protect what matters most.