(c) District-wide school safety plans and building-level emergency response plans. District-wide school safety plans and building-level emergency response plans shall be designed to prevent or minimize the effects of violent incidents and emergencies and to facilitate the coordination of schools and school districts with local and county resources in the event of such incidents or emergencies. (1) District-wide school safety plans. A district-wide school safety plan shall be developed by the district-wide school safety team and shall include, but not be limited to: (xiv) procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test components of the emergency response plan, including the use of tabletop exercises, in coordination with local and county emergency responders and preparedness officials. (xix) the designation of the superintendent, or superintendent's designee, as the district chief emergency officer whose duties shall include, but not be limited to: (g) ensure the conduct of required evacuation and lock-down drills in all district buildings as required by Education Law section 807. (2) Building-level emergency response plan. A building-level emergency response plan shall be developed by the building-level emergency response team, shall be kept confidential, including but not limited to the floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the immediate surrounding area, and shall not be disclosed except to authorized department or school staff, and law enforcement officers, and shall include the following elements: (vii) procedures for an annual review of the building-level emergency response plan and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test components of the building-level emergency response plan, including the use of tabletop exercises, in coordination with local, county, and state emergency responders and preparedness officials. (h) Fire and Emergency Drills. Each school district and board of cooperative educational services shall, at least once every school year, and where possible in cooperation with local county emergency preparedness plan officials, conduct one test of its emergency response procedures under each of its building-level emergency response plans, including sheltering, lock-down or early dismissal, at a time not to occur more than 15 minutes earlier than the normal dismissal time. (1) Parents or persons in parental relation shall be notified at least one week prior to the drill. (2) Such drills shall test the usefulness of the communications and transportation system during emergencies. (3) The provisions of section 175.5(a) of this Title regarding the length of school day for State aid purposes shall not apply to school days in which less than the minimum number of hours is conducted because of an early dismissal pursuant to this subdivision.

Memo addresses district requirement to plan and implement multi-hazard practice drills and exercises.

2. Such comprehensive district-wide safety plan shall be developed by the district-wide school safety team and shall include at a minimum: h. policies and procedures for annual school safety training for staff and students; provided that the district must certify to the commissioner that all staff have undergone annual training on the emergency response plan, and that the school safety training include components on violence prevention and mental health, such training may be implemented and conducted in conjunction with existing professional development and training; provided however that new employees hired after the start of the school year shall receive training within thirty days of such hire or as part of a district’s existing new hire training program, whichever is sooner. 3. A building level emergency response plan, developed by the building-level emergency response team defined in subdivision four of this section, shall be kept confidential, including but not limited to the floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school interior, school grounds and road maps of the immediate surrounding area, and shall not be disclosed except to authorized department or school staff, and law enforcement officers, and shall include the following elements: g. procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test components of the emergency response plan

1.  It shall be the duty of the principal or other person in charge of every public or private school or educational institution within the state, other than colleges or universities, to instruct and train the pupils by means of drills, so that they may in a sudden emergency be able to respond appropriately in the shortest possible time and without confusion or panic. Such drills shall be held at least twelve times in each school year, eight of which required drills shall be held between September first and December thirty-first of each such year. Eight of all such drills shall be evacuation drills, four of which shall be through use of the fire escapes on buildings where fire escapes are provided or through the use of identified secondary means of egress. Four of all such required drills shall be lock-down drills. Drills shall be conducted at different times of the school day. Pupils shall be instructed in the procedure to be followed in the event that a fire occurs during the lunch period or assembly, provided however, that such additional instruction may be waived where a drill is held during the regular school lunch period or assembly. Four additional drills shall be held in each school year during the hours after sunset and before sunrise in school buildings in which students are provided with sleeping accommodations. At least two additional drills shall be held during summer school in buildings where summer school is conducted, and one of such drills shall be held during the first week of summer school.

1-a.  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 such school building, the principal or other person in charge of the building shall require the teacher or person in charge of such after-school program, event or performance to notify persons in attendance at the beginning of each such 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.

Document provides guidance on planning and implementing multi-hazard practice drills and exercises.