BILL REQ. #:  H-1442.1 

Read first time 02/02/2007.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to safe school plans; and amending RCW 28A.320.125.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28A.320.125 and 2002 c 205 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) ((By June 1, 2002, within existing resources, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with representatives from the emergency management division of the state military department, educators, classified staff, principals, superintendents, administrators, the American society for industrial security, the state criminal justice training commission, the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, and others as determined by the superintendent, shall provide guidance to school districts in developing comprehensive safe school plans for each school. This guidance shall include, but shall not be limited to, a comprehensive school safety checklist to use as a tool when developing their own individual comprehensive safe school plans, and successful models of comprehensive safe school plans that include prevention, intervention, all-hazards/crisis response, and postcrisis recovery.)) The legislature considers it to be a matter of public safety for public schools and staff to have current safe school plans and procedures in place, fully consistent with federal law. The legislature further finds and intends, by requiring safe school plans to be in place, that school districts will become eligible for federal assistance. The legislature further finds that schools are in a position to serve the community in the event of an emergency resulting from natural disasters or man-made disasters.
     (2) Schools and school districts shall consider the guidance provided by the superintendent of public instruction, including the comprehensive school safety checklist and the model comprehensive safe school plans that include prevention, intervention, all hazard/crisis response, and postcrisis recovery, when developing their own individual comprehensive safe school plans. Each school district shall adopt, no later than September 1, 2008, and implement a safe school plan consistent with the school mapping information system pursuant to RCW 36.28A.060. The plan shall:
     (a) Include required school safety policies and procedures;
     (b) Address emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;
     (c) Include provisions for assisting and communicating with students and staff, including those with special needs or disabilities;
     (d) Comply with the training guidance provided by the Washington emergency management division of the state military department in collaboration with the Washington state office of superintendent of public instruction school safety center and the school safety center advisory committee;
     (e) Require the building principal to be certified on the incident command system;
     (f) Take into account the manner in which the school facilities may be used as a community asset in the event of a community-wide emergency; and
     (g) Set guidelines for requesting city or county law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, emergency service providers, and county emergency management agencies to meet with school districts and participate in safety-related drills annually.
     (3) ((The superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with school district superintendents, shall establish timelines for school districts to develop individual comprehensive safe school plans. The superintendent of public instruction shall require school districts to periodically report progress on their comprehensive safe school plans.
     (4))) School districts shall annually:
     (a) Review and update safe school plans in collaboration with local emergency response agencies;
     (b) Conduct an inventory of all hazardous materials;
     (c) Update information on the school mapping information system to reflect current staffing and updated plans, including:
     (i) Identifying all staff members who are trained on the national incident management system, trained on the incident command system, or are certified on the incident command system; and
     (ii) Identifying school transportation procedures for evacuation, shelter-in-place, parent-student reunification, and lockdown;
     (d) Provide information to all staff on the use of emergency supplies and notification and alert procedures; and
     (e) Inventory and replenish emergency supplies, or identify appropriate community sources of emergency supplies as needed.
     (4) School districts are required to annually record and report on the information and activities required in subsection (3) of this section to the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.
     (5) Schools shall conduct no less than one safety-related drill each month that school is in session. Schools shall complete no less than one drill using the school mapping information system, one drill for lockdowns, and one drill for shelter-in-place. Schools should consider drills for earthquakes, tsunamis, or other high risk local events. Schools shall document the date and time of such drills.
     (6) Educational service districts are encouraged to apply for federal emergency response and crisis management grants with the assistance of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington emergency management division of the state military department.
     (7) The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement provisions of this section. These rules may include, but are not limited to, provisions for ((periodic drills and testing,)) evacuations, lockdowns, or other components of a comprehensive safe school plan.