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| Public Act 100-0996 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Safety Drill Act is amended by | ||||
changing Section 20 as follows: | ||||
(105 ILCS 128/20)
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Sec. 20. Number of drills; incidents covered; local | ||||
authority participation.
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(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 , with the participation of the | ||
appropriate law enforcement agency. Law enforcement drills | ||
must may be conducted on days and times when students are | ||
normally not 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 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.
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(Source: P.A. 100-443, eff. 8-25-17.)
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