102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3674

 

Introduced 2/22/2021, by Rep. Terra Costa Howard

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 128/20

    Amends the School Safety Drill Act. Makes changes to provisions of the Act concerning law enforcement drills. Provides that no later than 90 days after the first day of each school year, schools must conduct at least one walk-through law enforcement drill (rather than one law enforcement drill) that addresses an active threat or active shooter within a school building. Makes changes concerning how law enforcement drills are conducted and the exemption of students. Requires drill content to be created by a team that includes administrators, teachers, school-based health and mental health professionals, and law enforcement agency members. Sets forth requirements and recommendations for the drill content. Within 2 weeks following the execution of a walk-through drill, requires the team to meet to evaluate the implementation of the drill and to determine and review if any students or educators exhibited signs of trauma during or after the drill so that the team may evaluate if changes in the drill content or procedures are required. Effective January 1, 2022.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Safety Drill Act is amended by
5changing Section 20 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 128/20)
7    Sec. 20. Number of drills; incidents covered; local
8authority participation.
9    (a) During each academic year, schools must conduct a
10minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare
11students and school personnel for fire incidents. These drills
12must meet all of the following criteria:
13        (1) One of the 3 school evacuation drills shall
14    require the participation of the appropriate local fire
15    department or district.
16            (A) Each local fire department or fire district
17        must contact the appropriate school administrator or
18        his or her designee no later than September 1 of each
19        year in order to arrange for the participation of the
20        department or district in the school evacuation drill.
21            (B) Each school administrator or his or her
22        designee must contact the responding local fire
23        official no later than September 15 of each year and

 

 

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1        propose to the local fire official 4 dates within the
2        month of October, during at least 2 different weeks of
3        October, on which the drill shall occur. The fire
4        official may choose any of the 4 available dates, and
5        if he or she does so, the drill shall occur on that
6        date.
7            (C) The school administrator or his or her
8        designee and the local fire official may also, by
9        mutual agreement, set any other date for the drill,
10        including a date outside of the month of October.
11            (D) If the fire official does not select one of the
12        4 offered dates in October or set another date by
13        mutual agreement, the requirement that the school
14        include the local fire service in one of its mandatory
15        school evacuation drills shall be waived. Schools,
16        however, shall continue to be strongly encouraged to
17        include the fire service in a school evacuation drill
18        at a mutually agreed-upon time.
19            (E) Upon the participation of the local fire
20        service, the appropriate local fire official shall
21        certify that the school evacuation drill was
22        conducted.
23            (F) When scheduling the school evacuation drill,
24        the school administrator or his or her designee and
25        the local fire department or fire district may, by
26        mutual agreement on or before September 14, choose to

 

 

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1        waive the provisions of subparagraphs (B), (C), and
2        (D) of this paragraph (1).
3        Additional school evacuation drills for fire incidents
4    may involve the participation of the appropriate local
5    fire department or district.
6        (2) Schools may conduct additional school evacuation
7    drills to account for other evacuation incidents,
8    including without limitation suspicious items or bomb
9    threats.
10        (3) All drills shall be conducted at each school
11    building that houses school children.
12    (b) During each academic year, schools must conduct a
13minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill shall be
14accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in
15all other educational institutions in this State that are
16supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds
17and that provide instruction in any of the grades kindergarten
18through 12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe
19bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct
20additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be
21conducted at each school building that houses school children.
22    (b-5) Notwithstanding the minimum requirements established
23by this Act, private schools that do not utilize a bus to
24transport students for any purpose are exempt from subsection
25(b) of this Section, provided that the chief school
26administrator of the private school provides written assurance

 

 

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1to the State Board of Education that the private school does
2not plan to utilize a bus to transport students for any purpose
3during the current academic year. The assurance must be made
4on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and filed no
5later than October 15. If a private school utilizes a bus to
6transport students for any purpose during an academic year
7when an assurance pursuant to this subsection (b-5) has been
8filed with the State Board of Education, the private school
9shall immediately notify the State Board of Education and
10comply with subsection (b) of this Section no later than 30
11calendar days after utilization of the bus to transport
12students, except that, at the discretion of the private
13school, students chosen for participation in the bus
14evacuation drill need include only the subgroup of students
15that are utilizing bus transportation.
16    (c) During each academic year, schools must conduct a law
17enforcement drill to address a school shooting incident. No
18later than 90 days after the first day of each school year,
19schools must conduct at least one walk-through law enforcement
20drill that addresses an active threat or an active shooter
21within a school building. Such drills must be conducted
22according to the school district's or private school's
23emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and
24procedures, with the participation of the appropriate law
25enforcement agency to evaluate the preparedness of school
26personnel and students. Walk-through law Law enforcement

 

 

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1drills must be conducted on days and times when students are
2normally present in the school building and must involve
3participation from all school personnel and students present
4at school at the time of the drill, except that administrators
5or school support personnel in their discretion may exempt
6students from the drill. The appropriate local law enforcement
7agency shall observe the administration of the drill. All
8drills must be conducted at each school building that houses
9school children. A law enforcement drill must be announced to
10educators and students prior to the start of any drill.
11        (1) A law enforcement drill must meet all of the
12    following criteria:
13            (A) During each calendar year, the appropriate
14        local law enforcement agency shall contact the
15        appropriate school administrator to request to
16        participate in a law enforcement drill. The school
17        administrator and local law enforcement agency shall
18        set, by mutual agreement, a date for the drill.
19            (A-5) The drill shall require the on-site
20        participation of the local law enforcement agency. If
21        a mutually agreeable date cannot be reached between
22        the school administrator and the appropriate local law
23        enforcement agency, then the school shall still hold
24        the drill without participation from the agency.
25            (B) Upon the participation of a local law
26        enforcement agency in a law enforcement drill, the

 

 

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1        appropriate local law enforcement official shall
2        certify that the law enforcement drill was conducted
3        and notify the school in a timely manner of any
4        deficiencies noted during the drill.
5            (C) The walk-through drill must not include
6        content that mimics, simulates, or appears to be an
7        actual shooting incident.
8        (2) Schools may conduct additional law enforcement
9    drills at their discretion.
10        (3) (Blank).
11        (4) School administrators and school support personnel
12    may, in their discretion, exempt a student or students
13    from participating in the walk-through drill.
14        (5) Schools must provide sufficient information and
15    notification to parents and guardians in advance about the
16    dates, content, and tone of any walk-through drill that
17    involves the participation of students. Schools must also
18    provide to parents and guardians an opportunity to exempt
19    their child for any reason from participating in the
20    walk-through drill.
21        (6) Schools must provide alternative safety education
22    and instruction related to an active threat or active
23    shooter event to students who do not participate in the
24    walk-through drill to provide them with essential
25    information, training, and instruction through less
26    sensorial safety training methods.

 

 

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1        (7) During the drill, students must be allowed to ask
2    question related to the drill.
3        (8) Schools are encourage to make school-employed
4    mental health professionals available to provide support
5    to students or school personnel who experience a negative
6    reaction to the drill.
7        (8) Drill content must be created by a team that
8    includes administrators, teachers, school-based health and
9    mental health professionals, and law enforcement agency
10    members. Drill content must be age and developmentally
11    appropriate. It is recommended that the drill content
12    incorporate student input and provide an opportunity for
13    participants to offer post-drill feedback to the team.
14    Within 2 weeks following the execution of a walk-through
15    drill, the team shall meet to evaluate the implementation
16    of the drill and to determine and review if any students or
17    educators exhibited signs of trauma during or after the
18    drill so that the team may evaluate if changes in the drill
19    content or procedures are required.
20    (d) During each academic year, schools must conduct a
21minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to
22address and prepare students and school personnel for possible
23tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather
24and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents,
25including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous
26materials. All drills shall be conducted at each school

 

 

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1building that houses school children.
2(Source: P.A. 100-443, eff. 8-25-17; 100-996, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
41, 2022.