4.37 Emergency Drills

4.37—EMERGENCY DRILLS

All schools in the District shall conduct fire drills at least monthly. Tornado drills shall also be conducted no fewer than three (3) times per year with at least one each in the months of September, January, and February. Students who ride school buses,1 shall also participate in emergency evacuation drills at least twice each school year.

The District shall annually conduct an active shooter drill and school safety assessment for all District schools in collaboration with local law enforcement and emergency management personnel. Students will be included in the drills to the extent that is developmentally appropriate for the age of both the students and grade configuration of the school.2

Drills may be conducted during the instructional day or during non-instructional time periods.

Other types of emergency drills may also be conducted to test the implementation of the District's emergency plans in the event of an earthquake or terrorist attack that might include the use of biological or chemical agents. Students shall be included in the drills to the extent practicable.2

Notes: 1 Students who only ride buses occasionally, such as to go to and/or from a field trip will also have to participate in the evacuation drills.

2 Student involvement will need to be worked out school by school and determined relative to grade and age considerations in conjunction with the actual content of the drill. There may be drills conducted that do not include any students due to the explicit nature of the drill and the age of the students while a drill in another school would include students. There are so many facets of responding to a school intruder/shooting incident that it's difficult to know when your planning has dealt with all the contingencies. A good resource on active shooter drills is the “I Love You Guys” Foundation, which was created by the parents of the victim of the school shooting at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado to develop a protocol to advance school safety. The Foundation has free materials for districts that can be a big help when developing protocols and training for both personnel and students. A description of the Foundation’s recommended protocol and the materials can be found at Some of this site's information could also be applied to the emergency plans required by statute and this policy.

Legal References:A.C.A. § 12-13-109

A.C.A. § 6-10-110

A.C.A. § 6-10-121

A.C.A. § 6-15-1302

A.C.A. § 6-15-1303

Ark. Division of Academic Facilities and Transportation Rules Governing Maintenance and Operations of Ark. Public School Buses and Physical Examinations of School Bus Drivers 4.03.1

Date Adopted:

Last Revised: