S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1544
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to lock-down drills
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of  section  807 of the education law, as
 amended by section 2 of part B of chapter 54 of the  laws  of  2016,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   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]  TEN
 times in each school year, [eight] SIX 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]  TWO  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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04710-01-5
 A. 1544                             2
              

 
   § 2. Section 807 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
   2-A. (A) IN IMPLEMENTING THE LOCK-DOWN DRILLS DESCRIBED IN SUBDIVISION
 ONE  OF  THIS SECTION, IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR
 SCHOOL BOARD OR OTHER BODY HAVING CONTROL OF THE SCHOOLS IN ANY DISTRICT
 OR CITY TO ADOPT A BUILDING-LEVEL  EMERGENCY  RESPONSE  PLAN  CONSISTENT
 WITH  THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED ONE-A OF THIS CHAP-
 TER WHICH INCLUDES A TRAUMA-INFORMED, DEVELOPMENTALLY, AND AGE-APPROPRI-
 ATE APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND EXECUTION OF  SUCH  DRILLS,  WHICH  SHALL
 STIPULATE THAT:
   (I)  NOTICE TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF STUDENTS OF WHEN THE LOCK-DOWN
 DRILL WILL BE HELD, AT LEAST SEVEN DAYS IN ADVANCE OF SUCH DRILL;
   (II) DRILLS SHALL NOT INCLUDE PROPS,  ACTORS,  SIMULATIONS,  OR  OTHER
 TACTICS INTENDED TO MIMIC AN INCIDENT OF VIOLENCE OR OTHER EMERGENCY;
   (III)  AN  ANNOUNCEMENT  AT THE TIME THAT SUCH DRILL IS CONDUCTED THAT
 THE ACTIVITIES BEING CONDUCTED ARE A DRILL; AND
   (IV) SCHOOLS SHALL INCORPORATE STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES  TO  ACCOMMO-
 DATE  STUDENTS, ON AN INDIVIDUALIZED BASIS AND IN A MANNER DEEMED APPRO-
 PRIATE BY THE SCHOOL, WHO MAY NEED EXTRA SUPPORT DURING SUCH DRILLS,  AS
 SUCH NEEDS MAY HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE SCHOOL BY A PARENT AND/OR GUAR-
 DIAN OR OTHERWISE FLAGGED BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL.  NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION SHALL INFRINGE ON ANY FEDERAL OR STATE LAWS WHICH PROTECT STUDENTS.
   (B)  ALL  BOARDS  OF EDUCATION OR SCHOOL BOARDS OR OTHER BODIES HAVING
 CONTROL OF THE SCHOOLS IN ANY DISTRICT OR CITY SHALL INCORPORATE AS PART
 OF THE ANNUAL SCHOOL SAFETY STAFF PRESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH H OF  SUBDIVI-
 SION  TWO OF SECTION TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED ONE-A OF THIS CHAPTER GUIDANCE
 ON:
   (I) HOW TO CONDUCT SUCH DRILLS IN A VARIETY OF  CLASSROOMS,  INCLUDING
 THOSE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS SUCH AS WINDOWED WALLS;
   (II)  WHAT  INFORMATION  SHOULD  BE  COMMUNICATED  TO STUDENTS BEFORE,
 DURING, AND AFTER SUCH DRILL; AND
   (III) ANY OTHER INFORMATION  THAT  THE  BOARD  OR  BODY  SEES  FIT  TO
 INCLUDE.   ALL TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL SUBJECT TO
 A LOCK-DOWN DRILL SHALL BE NOTIFIED OF SUCH DRILL  IN  ADVANCE  OF  SUCH
 DRILL OCCURRING AND SHALL BE NOTIFIED OF SUCH DRILL'S EXPECTED LENGTH OF
 TIME.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date upon which it shall have become a law.  Effective  immediately,
 the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.