HB1327: HB1327 Education; install key boxes at each school building in locations determined in collaboration with local law enforcement; provide

Georgia law does not currently require schools to give police a fast way to unlock doors during an emergency. This bill adds a new section to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1187) requiring local school boards or other governing bodies of every public and private elementary and secondary school to install at least one exterior key box at each school building. The key box must meet a specific safety standard (Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037), be placed where local law enforcement decides is best for emergency access, and hold keys or access devices for every building and room on the campus. Schools that already have a documented, formal rapid-access program for first responders are exempt from the key box requirement. School boards must adopt policies to carry this out, and the bill grants schools, school systems, local governments, and their employees immunity from lawsuits over damages from installing or using the key boxes, unless an employee acted with gross negligence or bad faith.

• Requires local school boards and governing bodies of every public and private K-12 school in Georgia to install at least one exterior key box at each school building.
• Exempts schools that already have a documented, formal rapid-access program giving first responders access to locked doors.
• Sets minimum standards for the key boxes, requiring them to meet Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037 and hold keys or access devices for every building and room on campus.
• Requires the location of each key box to be chosen with input from local law enforcement.
• Requires school boards to adopt policies and procedures to implement the key box requirement.
• Grants schools, school systems, local governments, and their employees immunity from civil lawsuits over damages from installing or using the key boxes, unless an employee acted with gross negligence or bad faith.

Public and private elementary and secondary schools in Georgia, local boards of education and other school governing bodies, school employees responsible for implementing the policy, local law enforcement agencies that help choose key box locations, and local governments that could face liability questions.

If enacted, schools without an existing rapid-access plan would have to add hardware giving police a fast way into buildings during emergencies like an active shooter situation, potentially speeding up response times, while also shielding schools and most employees from lawsuits tied to that equipment.

• Adds a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1187, to the article on loitering at or disrupting schools.
• Subsection (a) requires installation of at least one exterior key box meeting Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037, unless the school already has a documented rapid-access program for first responders.
• Subsection (b) requires the key box location to be chosen for emergency access and to contain keys or access devices for every building and room on school grounds.
• Subsection (c) requires local boards or governing bodies to adopt policies and procedures to implement the requirement.
• Subsection (d) grants immunity from civil liability to schools, school systems, local governments, and agencies, and to their employees unless gross negligence or bad faith is shown.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-02-19House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-18House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-17House Hopper (House)

• Jason Ridley (R, HD-006)Primary sponsor
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)

• school safety
• key boxes
• law enforcement access
• school liability
• education law