The Maryland State Department of Education Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School Systems and Schools (December 2019) is incorporated by reference.

A. In consultation with other health and safety officials in the local community, each local school system and the SEED School shall develop an emergency plan for all public school grounds to include maintenance, transportation, and central administration office under its jurisdiction that:

• (1) Deals with the contingencies of man-made, technological, and natural hazards;
• (2) Conforms to the requirements of this chapter; and
• (3) Aligns with the Maryland State Department of Education Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School Systems and Schools (December 2019).

B. Each local school system and the SEED School shall ensure that:

• (1) Each school facility under its jurisdiction has a school emergency plan that is aligned with the criteria outlined in the MSDE Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School Systems and Schools (December 2019) and that a copy of each school emergency plan is on file at the central administration office.
• (2) A central administration emergency plan that is aligned with the criteria outlined in the MSDE Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School Systems and Schools (December 2019) is on file in each school grounds under its jurisdiction.

C. Each local school system and the SEED School shall develop and implement an annual schedule of drills for each school grounds within the system. In addition to fire drills, the following drills shall be conducted annually:

• (1) Evacuation;
• (2) Shelter in place;
• (3) Reverse evacuation;
• (4) Lock down;
• (5) Drop, cover, and hold; and
• (6) Severe weather.

This document provides guidance on emergency planning.

SECTION III: TRAINING, TESTING, AND EVALUATING THE PLAN Evaluating the Emergency Plan

It is said that emergency response plans must be “living documents”. As such, LSSs should consider updating their emergency response plans annually and after training or an emergency situation as deemed necessary. Using formative and summative evaluation can help to identify potential areas for modification and improvement of the plan.

(d) Policies for emergency response. -- Each local school system shall collaborate with the local law enforcement agency to establish policies for responding to an emergency at each public school in the county.