HB 643: Education; install key boxes at each school building in locations determined in collaboration with local law enforcement; provide

Georgia law does not currently address key boxes at school buildings, the small lockboxes that hold keys and maps so first responders can get inside quickly during an emergency. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's school code letting local school boards or governing bodies of public and private elementary and secondary schools install at least one exterior key box at each school building. The box's location would be chosen jointly by the school and local law enforcement and emergency management agencies. It would need to meet a safety standard (Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037) and contain keys, access devices, and detailed maps showing entrances, utilities, defibrillators, and nearby areas. Schools that install a box would have to adopt policies, track each time it's opened, and keep those records. Information about the box would be shielded from public records requests, and schools, school systems, local governments, and their employees would be protected from civil lawsuits over the box's installation or use, unless an employee acted with gross negligence or bad faith.

• Authorizes (but does not require) local school boards and private school governing bodies to install exterior key boxes at each school building.
• Requires the box's location to be chosen jointly with local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.
• Sets minimum standards for what the box must contain, including keys, access devices, and detailed maps of the school grounds.
• Requires schools that install a box to adopt policies and keep an access log every time the box is opened.
• Exempts key box information from public disclosure under Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72).
• Grants schools, local governments, and their employees immunity from civil lawsuits over the key boxes, except when an employee acts with gross negligence or in bad faith.

Public and private elementary and secondary schools in Georgia, local boards of education and other school governing bodies, local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, and school and government employees who could face or be shielded from lawsuits over the key boxes.

If schools choose to install these boxes, police and paramedics could get faster access to buildings during emergencies like an intruder or medical crisis, since responders would have keys and detailed maps on hand. Schools also gain legal protection from lawsuits tied to the boxes, and details about the boxes would be kept out of public records.

• New Code Section 20-2-1186(a) authorizes school boards and private school governing bodies to install at least one exterior key box per building meeting UL Standard 1037.
• Subsection (b) requires the box's location be set jointly with local police and emergency management, and requires it to contain keys and detailed maps of buildings, utilities, and grounds.
• Subsection (c) requires schools that install a box to adopt implementing policies and to log every time the box is accessed, done in collaboration with local first responders.
• Subsection (d) exempts key box information from disclosure under Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72).
• Subsection (e) gives schools, school systems, local governments, and their employees immunity from civil liability over the boxes, except for employees who act with gross negligence or bad faith.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-28House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-27House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-26House Hopper (House)

• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)Primary sponsor
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-48)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-29)
• Lynn Heffner (D, HD-130)

• school safety
• emergency response
• school security
• public records exemptions
• liability protection