ATLANTA — Governor Brian Kemp is set to sign new school safety legislation into law today during a ceremony at the State Capitol, just seven months after a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School that claimed four lives.

The legislation mandates panic buttons in every classroom, requires school records to be shared within five days when a student changes districts, and establishes a statewide alert system to track and respond to school threats. The measure will take effect immediately, though districts will have until next year to comply with certain elements.

The new safety measures are based on lessons learned from the Apalachee High School shooting. Panic buttons already in place at the school were credited with saving lives by allowing for the rapid notification of law enforcement. Additionally, the new record-sharing requirement addresses gaps in communication identified after it was revealed that the alleged shooter, Colt Gray, had been questioned by the FBI about online threats more than a year before the attack when he was enrolled in a different school district.

Richard Aspinwall, whose son, Coach Ricky Aspinwall, was among those killed in the shooting, spoke earlier this year about the urgent need for change. “We’ve got to protect our children, no matter what,” he said. “If you go to school, everybody deserves the right to be safe. It’s a given. If we can’t provide that, then we are all failing.”

Governor Kemp’s signing of the legislation marks a significant response to the tragedy, with state leaders aiming to better protect students and staff across Georgia schools.

WSBs Ashley Simmons contributed to this story