SB1685 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 12637 CMG 17976 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB1685

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Scott M. Bennett

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 128/20

Amends the School Safety Drill Act. Allows parents of students to exempt their children from participation in a law enforcement drill.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

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 Section 20 as follows:

(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.

(b-5) Notwithstanding the minimum requirements established by this Act, private schools that do not utilize a bus to transport students for any purpose are exempt from subsection (b) of this Section, provided that the chief school administrator of the private school provides written assurance to the State Board of Education that the private school does not plan to utilize a bus to transport students for any purpose during the current academic year. The assurance must be made on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and filed no later than October 15. If a private school utilizes a bus to transport students for any purpose during an academic year when an assurance pursuant to this subsection (b-5) has been filed with the State Board of Education, the private school shall immediately notify the State Board of Education and comply with subsection (b) of this Section no later than 30 calendar days after utilization of the bus to transport students, except that, at the discretion of the private school, students chosen for participation in the bus evacuation drill need include only the subgroup of students that are utilizing bus transportation.

(c) During each academic year, schools must conduct a law enforcement drill to address a school shooting incident. No later than 90 days after the first day of each school year, schools must conduct at least one law enforcement drill that addresses an active threat or an active shooter within a school building. Such drills must be conducted according to the school district's or private school's emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures to evaluate the preparedness of school personnel and students. Law enforcement drills must be conducted on days and times when students are normally present in the school building and must involve participation from all school personnel and students present at school at the time of the drill, except that administrators, or school support personnel, or students' parents in their discretion may exempt students from the drill. The appropriate local law enforcement agency shall observe the administration of the drill. 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.

(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. 100-443, eff. 8-25-17; 100-996, eff. 1-1-19.)