Kansas K-12 Schools Crisis Drill Requirement Drops to Nine Per Year

Kansas K-12 Schools Crisis Drill Requirement Drops to Nine Per Year

Senate Bill 128, signed by Governor in April, lowered requirement from 16 to nine for schools across Kansas.

(TOPEKA) — Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 128 into law on April 10, 2019, changing the number of safety drills K-12 schools in Kansas must perform each year from 16 to nine.

As schools across the state of Kansas know, Senate Bill 109 changed the landscape of how K-12 schools conducted school drills. When Senate Bill 109 passed in 2018, schools were required to change the number and type of drills conducted during the school year. The change required schools to conduct nine crisis drills, four fire drills and three tornado drills during the school year, for a total of sixteen drills per school year. The change was positive in bringing about crisis drills to schools. However, the total number of drills proved to be overwhelming for many school districts.

With that in mind, Senate Bill 128 was introduced to change the number of drills required for schools. The bill changes the total number of drills from 16 to nine.  Schools must conduct at least two tornado drills (one in September and one in March), three crisis drills and four fire drills per school year.

Crisis drills should reflect events that have a potential to occur in your school and can include, but are not limited to, things such as a water main break, earthquake, missing student, hazardous spills, intruders, active shooters or medical emergencies.

The new law went into effect July 1, 2019 and will be in effect for the 2019-2020 school year. Updated information and the new K-12 School Drills Form, reflecting the changes in the drill requirements, are posted on our website at https://firemarshal.ks.gov/information-on/schools—usd-k-12.