Public Act 0048 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1625 Enrolled LRB098 09714 NHT 39863 b

Public Act 098-0048

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Safety Drill Act is amended by changing Sections 15 and 20 as follows:

(105 ILCS 128/15)

Sec. 15. Types of drills. Under this Act, the following school safety drills shall be instituted by all schools in this State:

(1) School evacuation drills, which shall address and prepare students and school personnel for situations that occur when conditions outside of a school building are safer than inside a school building. Evacuation incidents are based on the needs of particular communities and may include without limitation the following:

(A) fire;

(B) suspicious items or persons;

(C) incidents involving hazardous materials, including, but not limited to, chemical, incendiary, and explosives; and

(D) bomb threats.

(2) Bus evacuation drills, which shall address and prepare students and school personnel for situations that occur when conditions outside of a bus are safer than inside the bus. Evacuation incidents are based on the needs of particular communities and may include without limitation the following:

(A) fire;

(B) suspicious items; and

(C) incidents involving hazardous materials, including, but not limited to, chemical, incendiary, and explosives.

(3) Law enforcement drills, which shall address and prepare students and school personnel for situations calling for the involvement of law enforcement when conditions inside a school building are safer than outside of a school building and it is necessary to protect building occupants from potential dangers in a school building. Law enforcement drills may involve situations that call for the reverse-evacuation or the lock-down of a school building. Evacuation or reverse-evacuation Evacuations incidents shall may include a shooting incident. without limitation the following:

(A) shooting incidents;

(B) bomb threats;

(C) suspicious persons; and

(D) incidents involving hazardous materials.

(4) Severe weather and shelter-in-place drills, which shall address and prepare students for situations involving severe weather emergencies or the release of external gas or chemicals. Severe weather and shelter-in-place incidents shall be based on the needs and environment of particular communities and may include without limitation the following:

(A) severe weather, including, but not limited to, shear winds, lightning, and earthquakes;

(B) incidents involving hazardous materials, including, but not limited to, chemical, incendiary, and explosives; and

(C) incidents involving weapons of mass destruction, including, but not limited to, biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons.

(Source: P.A. 94-600, eff. 8-16-05.)

(105 ILCS 128/20)

Sec. 20. Number of drills; incidents covered; local authority participation.

(a) During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare students and school personnel for fire incidents. These drills must meet all of the following criteria:

(1) One of the 3 school evacuation drills shall require the participation of the appropriate local fire department or district.

(A) Each local fire department or fire district must contact the appropriate school administrator or his or her designee no later than September 1 of each year in order to arrange for the participation of the department or district in the school evacuation drill.

(B) Each school administrator or his or her designee must contact the responding local fire official no later than September 15 of each year and propose to the local fire official 4 dates within the month of October, during at least 2 different weeks of October, on which the drill shall occur. The fire official may choose any of the 4 available dates, and if he or she does so, the drill shall occur on that date.

(C) The school administrator or his or her designee and the local fire official may also, by mutual agreement, set any other date for the drill, including a date outside of the month of October.

(D) If the fire official does not select one of the 4 offered dates in October or set another date by mutual agreement, the requirement that the school include the local fire service in one of its mandatory school evacuation drills shall be waived. Schools, however, shall continue to be strongly encouraged to include the fire service in a school evacuation drill at a mutually agreed-upon time.

(E) Upon the participation of the local fire service, the appropriate local fire official shall certify that the school evacuation drill was conducted.

(F) When scheduling the school evacuation drill, the school administrator or his or her designee and the local fire department or fire district may, by mutual agreement on or before September 14, choose to waive the provisions of subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) of this paragraph (1).

Additional school evacuation drills for fire incidents may involve the participation of the appropriate local fire department or district.

(2) Schools may conduct additional school evacuation drills to account for other evacuation incidents, including without limitation suspicious items or bomb threats.

(3) All drills shall be conducted at each school building that houses school children.

(b) During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill shall be accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in all other educational institutions in this State that are supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds and that provide instruction in any of the grades kindergarten through 12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be conducted at each school building that houses school children.

(c) During each academic year, schools must conduct a law enforcement drill to address a school shooting incident incidents, including without limitation reverse evacuations, lock-downs, shootings, bomb threats, or hazardous materials. Such drills must be conducted according to the school district's or private school's emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures, with the participation of the appropriate law enforcement agency. Law enforcement drills may be conducted on days and times when students are not present in the school building. All drills must be conducted at each school building that houses school children.

(1) A law enforcement drill must meet all of the following criteria:

(A) During each calendar year, the appropriate local law enforcement agency shall contact the appropriate school administrator to request to participate in a law enforcement drill. The school administrator and local law enforcement agency shall set, by mutual agreement, a date for the drill.

(A-5) The drill shall require the on-site participation of the local law enforcement agency. If a mutually agreeable date cannot be reached between the school administrator and the appropriate local law enforcement agency, then the school shall still hold the drill without participation from the agency. and may actively participate on-site in a drill.

(B) Upon the participation of a local law enforcement agency in a law enforcement drill, the appropriate local law enforcement official shall certify that the law enforcement drill was conducted and notify the school in a timely manner of any deficiencies noted during the drill.

(2) Schools may conduct additional law enforcement drills at their discretion.

(3) (Blank).

(d) During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to address and prepare students and school personnel for possible tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents, including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous materials. All drills shall be conducted at each school building that houses school children.

(Source: P.A. 94-600, eff. 8-16-05; 95-1015, eff. 12-15-08.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.