Policy 5683

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL OPERATIONS
5683 EVACUATION, LOCKDOWN, AND EMERGENCY DISMISSAL DRILLS

Evacuation, Lockdown, and Emergency Dismissal Drills

Overview

The purpose of drills is to practice personnel and student actions during an emergency. Except for evacuation drills, at the time that drills are conducted, students and personnel will be informed it is a drill. All drills must:

a) Be conducted in a trauma-informed, developmentally, and age-appropriate manner and shall not include props, actors, simulations, or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting, incident of violence, or other emergency;
b) Occur after annual training in emergency procedures has been provided to students and personnel; and
c) Be completed on different dates, days of the week, and during different times of the school day.

The administration of each school building will instruct and train students on appropriate emergency responses, through drills, in the event of a sudden emergency. 

Definitions

For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

a) Trauma means an emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience such as, but not limited to, an act of violence, natural disaster, abuse, neglect, or loss.
b) Trauma-informed means an understanding of trauma and how it affects the physical, emotional, and mental health of students and adults.
c) Trauma-informed drills mean avoiding tactics in training or drills that may introduce or activate trauma, such as the use of props, actors, simulations, or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting, incident of violence, or other emergency, or inclusion of developmentally or age-inappropriate content. Drills may inadvertently prompt a negative emotional or psychological response in personnel or students because of previous exposure(s) to trauma.

Drill Requirements

The District will practice emergency response procedures under its District-wide school plan and building-level emergency response plan(s), where possible in cooperation with local law enforcement, emergency preparedness plan officials, and other first responders as follows:

a) Evacuation Drills

The District will conduct at least eight evacuation drills with students each school year. Six of the eight drills will be conducted between September 1 and December 31 of the school year. Four of the eight drills will be through the use of the fire escapes on buildings where fire escapes are provided or through the use of identified secondary means of egress, such as through different corridors, hallways, stairways, and exit doors. 

Evacuation drills will be conducted at different times of the school day. Students will be instructed in the procedure to be followed if a fire occurs during a lunch period or assembly, provided, however, that this additional instruction may be waived where a drill is held during a regular school lunch period or assembly. 

At least two additional drills will be held during summer school in buildings where summer school is conducted. One of the two drills will be held during the first week of summer school.

In the case of after-school programs, events, or performances which are conducted within a school building and which include persons who do not regularly attend classes in the school building, the principal or other person in charge of the building will require the teacher or person in charge of such after-school program, event, or performance to notify persons in attendance at the beginning of the program, event, or performance, of the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency so that they may be able to respond in a timely, orderly manner. 

b) Lockdown Drills

The District will conduct at least four lockdown drills with students each school year. Two of the four drills will be conducted between September 1 and December 31 of the school year. 

Lockdown drills will be conducted at different times of the school day. Students will be instructed in the procedure to be followed if an emergency occurs during a lunch period or assembly, provided, however, that this additional instruction may be waived where a drill is held during a regular school lunch period or assembly.

c) Emergency Dismissal Drills

The District will conduct at least one emergency dismissal drill to test emergency response procedures that require early dismissal at a time not to occur more than 15 minutes earlier than the normal dismissal time.

Emergency dismissal drills will test the usefulness of the communications and transportation system during emergencies. 

Notification

The District will notify parents or persons in parental relation at least one day, but no more than one week, before any drill. For emergency dismissal drills, the District will notify parents or persons in parental relation at least one week prior. 

Bomb Threats

School Bomb Threats

A bomb threat, even if later determined to be a hoax, is a criminal act. No bomb threat should be treated as a hoax when it is first received. Upon receiving any bomb threat, the school has an obligation and responsibility to ensure the safety and protection of the students and other occupants of the school. This obligation takes precedence over a search for a suspect object. Prudent action is dependent upon known information about the bomb threat-location, if any; time of detonation; etc. Specific procedures as to appropriate responses as a result of a bomb threat can be located in the building-level emergency response plan, as required by relevant law and regulation.

Police Notification and Investigation

Appropriate law enforcement agencies must be notified by the building administrator or designee of any bomb threat as soon as possible after receiving the threat. Law enforcement officials will contact, as the situation requires, fire and/or county emergency coordinators according to the county emergency plan.

Bus Emergency Drills

The administration will conduct a minimum of three emergency drills to be held on each school bus during the school year. The first drill will be conducted during the first seven days of school, the second drill between November 1 and December 31, and the third drill between March 1 and April 30. No drills will be conducted when buses are on routes.

Students who ordinarily walk to school will also be included in the drills. Students attending public and nonpublic schools who do not participate in regularly scheduled drills will also be provided drills on school buses, or as an alternative, will be provided classroom instruction covering the content of these drills.

Each drill will include practice and instruction in the location, use, and operation of the emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first-aid equipment, and windows as a means of escape in the event of fire or accident. Similarly, students will be instructed on all topics mandated by relevant sections of the Education Law and Commissioner's regulations, including, but not limited to, the following:

a) Safe boarding and exiting procedures with specific emphasis on when and how to approach, board, disembark, and move away from the bus after disembarking;
b) Advancing at least 15 feet in front of the bus before crossing the highway after disembarking;
c) Specific hazards encountered during snow, ice, rain, and other inclement weather, including, but not necessarily limited to, poor driver visibility, reduced vehicular control, and reduced hearing; and
d) Orderly conduct as bus passengers.

The administration of the drills will be in accordance with the New York State Education Department's Bus Safety Drill Guide and Compliance Form. 

Instruction on Use of Seat Belts

When students are transported on school buses, the District will ensure that all students who are transported on any school bus owned, leased, or contracted for by the District will receive instruction on the use of seat safety belts. This instruction will be provided at least three times each year to both public and nonpublic school students who are so transported and will include, but not be limited to:

a) Proper fastening and release of seat safety belts;
b) Acceptable adjustment and placement of seat safety belts on students;
c) Times at which the seat safety belts should be fastened and released; and
d) Acceptable placement of the seat safety belts when not in use.
Policy References:
Education Law Sections 807, 2801-a, 3623, and 3635-a
Penal Law Article 240
8 NYCRR Sections 100.2(gg), 155.17, and 156.3


NOTE:  Refer also to 
Policy 5681 - School Safety Plans


Adopted: 6/22/99
Revised: 9/6/22, 2/28/23, 11/5/24

Policy 5683