Document provides guidance for establishing formal plans for responding to crises or emergency events.

The purpose of this Act is to establish minimum requirements and Standard for schools to follow when conducting school safety drills and reviewing school emergency and crisis response plans and to encourage schools and first responders to work together for the safety of children. Communities and schools may exceed these requirements and Standard.

(a) Each public school district, through its school board or the board’s designee, shall conduct a minimum of one annual meeting at which it will review each school building’s emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures, including procedures regarding the school district’s threat assessment team, and each building’s compliance with the school safety drill programs. The purpose of this annual review shall be to review and update the emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures and the school safety drill programs of the district and each of its school buildings. This review must be at no cost to the school district. In updating a school building’s emergency and crisis response plans, consideration may be given to making the emergency and crisis response plans available to first responders, administrators, and teachers for implementation and utilization through the use of electronic applications on electronic devices, including, but not limited to, smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers. (b) Each school board or the board’s designee is required to participate in the annual review and to invite each of the following parties to the annual review and provide each party with a minimum of 30 days’ notice before the date of the annual review: (1) The principal of each school within the school district or his or her official designee. (2) Representatives from any other education-related organization or association deemed appropriate by the school district. (3) Representatives from all local first responder organizations to participate, advise, and consult in the review process, including, but not limited to: (A) the appropriate local fire department or district; (B) the appropriate local law enforcement agency; (C) the appropriate local emergency medical services agency if the agency is a separate, local first responder unit; and (D) any other member of the first responder or emergency management community that has contacted the district superintendent or his or her designee during the past year to request involvement in a school’s emergency planning or drill process. (4) The school board or its designee may also choose to invite to the annual review any other persons whom it believes will aid in the review process, including, but not limited to, any members of any other education-related organization or the first responder or emergency management community. (c) Upon the conclusion of the annual review, the school board or the board’s designee shall sign a one page report, which may be in either a check-off format or a narrative format, that does the following: (1) summarizes the review’s recommended changes to the existing school safety plans and drill plans; (2) lists the parties that participated in the annual review, and includes the annual review’s attendance record; (3) certifies that an effective review of the emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures and the school safety drill programs of the district and each of its school buildings has occurred; (4) states that the school district will implement those plans, protocols, procedures, and programs, during the academic year; and (5) includes the authorization of the school board or the board’s designee. (d) The school board or its designee shall send a copy of the report to each party that participates in the annual review process and to the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. If any of the participating parties have comments on the certification document, those parties shall submit their comments in writing to the appropriate regional superintendent. The regional superintendent shall maintain a record of these comments. The certification document may be in a check-off format or narrative format, at the discretion of the district superintendent. (e) The review must occur at least once during the fiscal year, at a specific time chosen at the school district superintendent’s discretion. (f) A private school shall conduct a minimum of one annual meeting at which the school must review each school building’s emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures and each building’s compliance with the school safety drill programs of the school. The purpose of this annual review shall be to review and update the emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures and the school safety drill programs of the school. This review must be at no cost to the private school. The private school shall invite representatives from all local first responder organizations to participate, advise, and consult in the review process, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) the appropriate local fire department or fire protection district; (2) the appropriate local law enforcement agency; (3) the appropriate local emergency medical services agency if the agency is a separate, local first responder unit; and (4) any other member of the first responder or emergency management community that has contacted the school’s chief administrative officer or his or her designee during the past year to request involvement in the school’s emergency planning or drill process.

The State Board of Education and the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall cooperate together and coordinate with all appropriate education, first responder, and emergency management officials to (i) develop and implement one common set of rules to be administered under this Act and (ii) develop clear and definitive guidelines to school districts, private schools, and first responders as to how to develop school emergency and crisis response plans, how to develop school emergency and crisis response plans, how to exercise and drill based on such plans, and how to incorporate lessons learned from these exercises and drills into school emergency and crisis response plans.

(a) In this Section, “door security locking means” means a door locking means intended for use by a trained school district employee in a school building for the purpose of preventing ingress through a door of the building. (b) A school district may install a door security locking means on a door of a school building to prevent unwanted entry through the door if all of the following requirements are met: (1) The door security locking means can be engaged without opening the door. (2) The unlocking and unlatching of the door security locking means from the occupied side of the door can be accomplished without the use of a key or tool. (3) The door security locking means complies with all applicable State and federal accessibility requirements. (4) Locks, if remotely engaged, can be unlocked from the occupied side. (5) The door security locking means is capable of being disengaged from the outside by school district employees, and school district employees may use a key or other credentials to unlock the door from the outside. (6) The door security locking means does not modify the door-closing hardware, panic hardware, or fire exit hardware. (7) Any bolts, stops, brackets, or pins employed by the door security locking means do not affect the fire rating of a fire door assembly. (8) School district employees are trained in the engagement and release of the door security locking means, from within and outside the room, as part of the emergency response plan. (9) For doors installed before July 1, 2019 only, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means requires no more than 2 releasing operations. For doors installed on or after July 1, 2019, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means requires no more than one releasing operation. If doors installed before July 1, 2019 are replaced on or after July 1, 2019, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means on the replacement door requires no more than one releasing operation. (10) The door security locking means is no more than 48 inches above the finished floor. (11) The door security locking means otherwise complies with the school building code prepared by the State Board of Education under Section 2-3.12 [105 ILCS 5/2-3.12]. A school district may install a door security locking means that does not comply with paragraph (3) or (10) of this subsection if (i) the school district meets all other requirements under this subsection and (ii) prior to its installation, local law enforcement officials, the local fire department, and the school board agree, in writing, to the installation and use of the door security locking means. The school district must keep the agreement on file and must, upon request, provide the agreement to its regional office of education. The agreement must be included in the school district’s filed school safety plan under the School Safety Drill Act [105 ILCS 128/1 et seq.]. (c) A school district must include the location of any door security locking means and must address the use of the locking and unlocking means from within and outside the room in its filed school safety plan under the School Safety Drill Act. Local law enforcement officials and the local fire department must be notified of the location of any door security locking means and how to disengage it. Any specific tool needed to disengage the door security locking means from the outside of the room must, upon request, be made available to local law enforcement officials and the local fire department. (d) A door security locking means may be used only (i) by a school district employee trained under subsection (e), (ii) during an emergency that threatens the health and safety of students and employees or during an active shooter drill, and (iii) when local law enforcement officials and the local fire department have been notified of its installation prior to its use. The door security locking means must be engaged for a finite period of time in accordance with the school district’s school safety plan adopted under the School Safety Drill Act. (e) A school district that has installed a door security locking means shall conduct an in-service training program for school district employees on the proper use of the door security locking means. The school district shall keep a file verifying the employees who have completed the program and must, upon request, provide the file to its regional office of education and the local fire department and local law enforcement agency. (f) A door security locking means that requires 2 releasing operations must be discontinued from use when the door is replaced or is a part of new construction. Replacement and new construction door hardware must include mortise locks, compliant with the applicable building code, and must be lockable from the occupied side without opening the door. However, mortise locks are not required if panic hardware or fire exit hardware is required.

(a) In this Section, “door security locking means” means a door locking means intended for use by a trained school district employee in a school building for the purpose of preventing ingress through a door of the building. (b) The school district may install a door security locking means on a door of a school building to prevent unwanted entry through the door if all of the following requirements are met: (1) The door security locking means can be engaged without opening the door. (2) The unlocking and unlatching of the door security locking means from the occupied side of the door can be accomplished without the use of a key or tool. (3) The door security locking means complies with all applicable State and federal accessibility requirements. (4) Locks, if remotely engaged, can be unlocked from the occupied side. (5) The door security locking means is capable of being disengaged from the outside by school district employees, and school district employees may use a key or other credentials to unlock the door from the outside. (6) The door security locking means does not modify the door-closing hardware, panic hardware, or fire exit hardware. (7) Any bolts, stops, brackets, or pins employed by the door security locking means do not affect the fire rating of a fire door assembly. (8) School district employees are trained in the engagement and release of the door security locking means, from within and outside the room, as part of the emergency response plan. (9) For doors installed before July 1, 2019 only, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means requires no more than 2 releasing operations. For doors installed on or after July 1, 2019, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means requires no more than one releasing operation. If doors installed before July 1, 2019 are replaced on or after July 1, 2019, the unlocking and unlatching of a door security locking means on the replacement door requires no more than one releasing operation. (10) The door security locking means is no more than 48 inches above the finished floor. (11) The door security locking means otherwise complies with the school building code prepared by the State Board of Education under Section 2-3.12 [105 ILCS 5/2-3.12]. The school district may install a door security locking means that does not comply with paragraph (3) or (10) of this subsection if (i) the school district meets all other requirements under this subsection and (ii) prior to its installation, local law enforcement officials, the local fire department, and the board agree, in writing, to the installation and use of the door security locking means. The school district must keep the agreement on file and must, upon request, provide the agreement to the State Board of Education. The agreement must be included in the school district’s filed school safety plan under the School Safety Drill Act [105 ILCS 128/1 et seq.]. (c) The school district must include the location of any door security locking means and must address the use of the locking and unlocking means from within and outside the room in its filed school safety plan under the School Safety Drill Act. Local law enforcement officials and the local fire department must be notified of the location of any door security locking means and how to disengage it. Any specific tool needed to disengage the door security locking means from the outside of the room must, upon request, be made available to local law enforcement officials and the local fire department. (d) A door security locking means may be used only (i) by a school district employee trained under subsection (e), (ii) during an emergency that threatens the health and safety of students and employees or during an active shooter drill, and (iii) when local law enforcement officials and the local fire department have been notified of its installation prior to its use. The door security locking means must be engaged for a finite period of time in accordance with the school district’s school safety plan adopted under the School Safety Drill Act. (e) If the school district installs a door security locking means, it must conduct an in-service training program for school district employees on the proper use of the door security locking means. The school district shall keep a file verifying the employees who have completed the program and must, upon request, provide the file to the local fire department and local law enforcement agency. (f) A door security locking means that requires 2 releasing operations must be discontinued from use when the door is replaced or is a part of new construction. Replacement and new construction door hardware must include mortise locks, compliant with the applicable building code, and must be lockable from the occupied side without opening the door. However, mortise locks are not required if panic hardware or fire exit hardware is required.

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