F. School Safety Planning and Emergency Procedures

1. Each LEA shall protect the health and safety of students and staff, through the implementation of comprehensive school safety planning and the development of emergency procedures to address a wide range of potential emergency situations, including, but not limited to, incidents of fire, natural disasters, violence, disease related crises or epidemics, terrorism, and hazardous material spills.
2. Each LEA shall develop plans that include prevention, planning, communication, response, and recovery. School and district personnel shall work with state and local emergency personnel, as appropriate, in the planning and implementation of safety plans.

4.40.1 School Safety Assessments The school district of each city, town, and regional school department is required to conduct an assessment every 3 years to examine the safety of each school building in accordance with R.I. Gen Laws § 16-21-23(a).

(a) Each school district of each town, city, and regional school department shall conduct a school safety assessment in conjunction with local police, fire, school safety team pursuant to the provisions of this section and any other expert said school department deems necessary. The assessment shall examine the current status of each school building's safety and shall be performed within thirty (30) days of passage of this act, and every three (3) years thereafter. (1) There shall be a Rhode Island school safety committee whose functions shall include, but not be limited to, providing training to law enforcement, school administrators, and teachers; collecting and reviewing all hazard safety security assessments; and offering recommendations and assistance to each school district of every town, city, and regional school department, in an effort to increase the safety of students and faculty. The committee shall be comprised of twelve (12) members as follows: the superintendent of the Rhode Island state police or designee, who shall serve as chairperson of the committee; the president of the Police Chiefs' Association, or designee; the director of the Rhode Island emergency management agency, or designee; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education, or designee; a representative from the Rhode Island School Superintendents' Association, to be selected by the association; the director of the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, or designee; the state fire marshal, or designee; a representative of the Rhode Island Association of School Maintenance Directors, to be selected by the association; a representative from the Rhode Island Association of School Principals, to be selected by the association; a representative from the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, to be selected by the association; a representative from the National Education Association of Rhode Island ("NEARI"), who shall be a full-time classroom teacher, to be selected by the president of NEARI; and one representative from the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals ("RIFTHP"), who shall be a full-time classroom teacher, to be selected by the president of the RIFTHP. (2) Each school department of each town, city, and regional school district shall complete the emergency action plan and shall submit the all hazards site safety survey report to the Rhode Island school safety committee every three (3) years for the committee's review and recommendation. (3) The assessment shall be completed by November 1 of the year mandated, and by December 31 of that year, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall report to the speaker of the house, the senate president, and the governor that the assessments have been completed. Assessments performed within a year of the date of passage of this act shall satisfy this requirement. (4) All meetings regarding the school safety assessment are not subject to the open meetings law pursuant to chapter 46 of title 42, and documents produced including, but not limited to, meeting minutes and the school safety assessment are not subject to the access to public records law pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38. (b) The school committee of each town, city, and regional school department shall review and adopt in executive session a comprehensive school safety plan regarding crisis intervention, emergency response, and management. The plan shall be developed by a school safety team comprised of representatives of the school committee; representatives of student, teacher, and parent organizations; school safety personnel; school administration; and members of local law enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel. Members of the school safety team shall be appointed by the school committee and/or school superintendent of the town, city, or regional school district. In creating the school safety plan, the school safety team(s) shall consult the model school safety plan developed by the department of elementary and secondary education pursuant to § 16-21-23.1. (c) The school crisis response team shall be comprised of those selected school personnel willing to serve as members of a psychological response team to address the psychological and emotional needs of the school community, and may seek mental health resources from the department of elementary and secondary education. Members of the school crisis response team may coordinate mental health services for those students and school employees affected by acts of violence in the schools, using resources available through the department of elementary and secondary education.

(a) Each school district of each town, city, and regional school department shall conduct a school safety assessment in conjunction with local police, fire, school safety team pursuant to the provisions of this section and any other expert said school department deems necessary. The assessment shall examine the current status of each school building's safety and shall be performed within thirty (30) days of passage of this act, and every three (3) years thereafter. (1) There shall be a Rhode Island school safety committee whose functions shall include, but not be limited to, providing training to law enforcement, school administrators, and teachers; collecting and reviewing all hazard safety security assessments; and offering recommendations and assistance to each school district of every town, city, and regional school department, in an effort to increase the safety of students and faculty. The committee shall be comprised of twelve (12) members as follows: the superintendent of the Rhode Island state police or designee, who shall serve as chairperson of the committee; the president of the Police Chiefs' Association, or designee; the director of the Rhode Island emergency management agency, or designee; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education, or designee; a representative from the Rhode Island School Superintendents' Association, to be selected by the association; the director of the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, or designee; the state fire marshal, or designee; a representative of the Rhode Island Association of School Maintenance Directors, to be selected by the association; a representative from the Rhode Island Association of School Principals, to be selected by the association; a representative from the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, to be selected by the association; a representative from the National Education Association of Rhode Island ("NEARI"), who shall be a full-time classroom teacher, to be selected by the president of NEARI; and one representative from the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals ("RIFTHP"), who shall be a full-time classroom teacher, to be selected by the president of the RIFTHP. (2) Each school department of each town, city, and regional school district shall complete the emergency action plan and shall submit the all hazards site safety survey report to the Rhode Island school safety committee every three (3) years for the committee's review and recommendation. (3) The assessment shall be completed by November 1 of the year mandated, and by December 31 of that year, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall report to the speaker of the house, the senate president, and the governor that the assessments have been completed. Assessments performed within a year of the date of passage of this act shall satisfy this requirement. (4) All meetings regarding the school safety assessment are not subject to the open meetings law pursuant to chapter 46 of title 42, and documents produced including, but not limited to, meeting minutes and the school safety assessment are not subject to the access to public records law pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38. (b) The school committee of each town, city, and regional school department shall review and adopt in executive session a comprehensive school safety plan regarding crisis intervention, emergency response, and management. The plan shall be developed by a school safety team comprised of representatives of the school committee; representatives of student, teacher, and parent organizations; school safety personnel; school administration; and members of local law enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel. Members of the school safety team shall be appointed by the school committee and/or school superintendent of the town, city, or regional school district. In creating the school safety plan, the school safety team(s) shall consult the model school safety plan developed by the department of elementary and secondary education pursuant to § 16-21-23.1. (c) The school crisis response team shall be comprised of those selected school personnel willing to serve as members of a psychological response team to address the psychological and emotional needs of the school community, and may seek mental health resources from the department of elementary and secondary education. Members of the school crisis response team may coordinate mental health services for those students and school employees affected by acts of violence in the schools, using resources available through the department of elementary and secondary education.

(b) School safety plans, as required by this chapter, shall further include school emergency response plans specific to each school building contained within each city, town, or regional school district, and shall be developed and approved in consultation with local police and fire. The state police shall provide consultation for those school districts that for whatever reason may not have access to local police. School emergency response plans shall include, and address, but not be limited to, the following elements: (1) Policies and procedures for the safe evacuation of students, teachers, and other school personnel as well as visitors to the school in the event of a serious violent incident or other emergency, which shall include evacuation routes and shelter sites and procedures for addressing medical needs, transportation, and emergency notification to persons in parental relation to a student. For purposes of this subdivision, "serious violent incident" means an incident of violent criminal conduct that is, or appears to be, life threatening and warrants the evacuation of students and/or staff; (2) Designation of an emergency response team comprised of school personnel, local law enforcement officials, and representatives from local regional and/or state emergency response agencies, other appropriate incident response teams including a school crisis response team, and a post-incident response team that includes appropriate school personnel, medical personnel, mental health counselors, and others who can assist the school community in coping with the aftermath of a violent incident; (3) Procedures for assuring that crisis response and law enforcement officials have access to floor plans, blueprints, schematics, or other maps of the school interior and school grounds, and road maps of the immediate surrounding area; (4) Establishment of internal and external communication systems in emergencies that include consistent, plain language and terminology that is recommended by the model plan established pursuant to general laws § 16-21-23.1; (5) Definition and formalization of the chain of command in a manner consistent with the national interagency incident management system/incident command system; (6) Procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test components of the emergency response plan, including use of checklists as described in § 16-21-23.1; (7) Policies and procedures for securing and restricting access to the crime scene in order to preserve evidence in cases of violent crimes on school property; and (8) Policies and procedures for ensuring timely access to mental health services for those students and school employees affected by a violent incident.