School-Safety Plans

Beginning this school year, every district is required to have in place a school-safety plan consistent with the school mapping information system (RCW 28A.320.125). Guidance on safety planning is provided by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Although a plan is required to be in place by September, OSPI will allow districts until October 15 to report on their plans.

The law sets out required elements of a school-safety plan and several annual activities that districts must conduct to update and maintain their plan. It is recommended that a district plan include prevention, intervention, all hazard/crisis response, and post-crisis recovery when developing an individual comprehensive school-safety plan.

The plan must include:

1. Required school safety policies and procedures;
2. Emergency mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery components;
3. Provisions for assisting and communicating with students and staff, including those with special needs or disabilities;
4. Training of staff (specifically building principals) including certification on the incident command system;
5. Consideration of how school facilities can be used as a community asset in the event of a community-wide emergency; and
6. Guidelines for annually 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, districts must report the progress of their comprehensive school-safety plan to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. District activities related to the school-safety plan include:

• A review and update of the school-safety plan in collaboration with local emergency response agencies;
• An inventory of all hazardous materials;
• Updating information on school-mapping to reflect staffing and the updated plan;
• Identification of staff members who are trained or certified on the incident command system;
• Identification of school transportation procedures for evacuation;
• Providing information to all staff on the use of emergency supplies and notification and alert procedures;
• Conducting safety related drills including lockdowns and shelter-in-place.

The safety-related drill provisions of the law are very specific regarding frequency and types of drills to be conducted. Specifically schools must conduct no less than one safety-related drill each month or portion of a month that school is in session. A total of eight drills are required; one of those must use the school-mapping information system. They are:

1. One drill for lock downs;
2. One drill for shelter-in-place; and
3. Six drills for fire evacuation in accordance with the state fire code.

The district must document each drill by reporting date and time, as well as participants, type of drill, type of school, weather conditions, problems and extenuating circumstances. An emergency drill reporting form can be found on the OSPI Web site (www.ospi.k12.wa.us/safetycenter).

Additionally, schools are asked to consider drills for earthquakes, tsunamis or other high-risk local events.

School-Safety Plan Policy Considerations

The law which requires a school district safety plan also refers to the need to identify policies that will support the plan. A list of selected policies from the WSSDA model policy reference manual, that districts may wish to refer to in the appendix of the plan, is provided. A separate board policy on a safety plan is not recommended because a comprehensive plan will incorporate a variety of policies. However, some districts may choose to create a separate policy in addition to referencing related policies.

The following policies and procedures may have implications in a school-safety plan:

1. 3200 — Student Rights and Responsibilities;
2. 3205 — Safety and Civility in Schools;
3. 3413 — Immunization and Life-Threatening Health Conditions;
4. 3414 — Infectious Diseases;
5. 3415 — Accommodating Students with Diabetes;
6. 3416 — Medication at School;
7. 3417 — Catheterization;
8. 3418 — Emergency Treatment;
9. 3419 — Self-Administration of Asthma and Anaphylaxis Medication;
10. 3432 — Emergencies (fire drills, earthquakes, bomb threats, etc.);
11. 4000 — Public Information Program;
12. 4010 — Staff Communications Responsibility;
13. 4200 — Safe and Orderly Learning Environment;
14. 4210 — Regulation of Dangerous Weapons on School Premises;
15. 4260 — Use of School Facilities;
16. 4310 — Relations with Law Enforcement;
17. 4314 — Notification of Threats of Violence or Harm;
18. 6040 — Expenditures in Excess of Budget;
19. 6510 — Safety;
20. 6511 — Staff Safety;
21. 6513 — Workplace Violence Prevention;
22. 6600 — Transportation;
23. 6605 — Student Safety Walking to School and Riding Buses;
24. 6630 — Driver Training and Responsibility;
25. 6895 — Pesticide Notification, Posting and Record Keeping.

There may be additional policies that are unique to your district that should also be referenced as part of the district safety plan. Further, districts may want to group the policies based on focus. For example, a district may choose to create health and security categories, or separate out those policies that would apply only to a natural disaster and create an additional comprehensive list for other emergencies. For additional assistance in creating a safety plan, review the OSPI checklist and information on creating a safety plan at www.ospi.k12.wa.us/safetycenter.

WSSDA’s model policy and procedure 3432, Emergencies, have been updated to incorporate the new monthly drill requirements for school districts.