103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4443
 
Introduced , by Rep. Daniel Didech
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 128/20
 Amends the School Safety Drill Act. Provides that a law enforcement lockdown drill must not be conducted on the day of or within 2 days before a school-administered standardized test.


LRB103 33377 RJT 63189 b


 
 
A BILL FOR
 
HB4443LRB103 33377 RJT 63189 b


1 AN ACT concerning education.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The School Safety Drill Act is amended by 
5changing Section 20 as follows:

6 (105 ILCS 128/20)
7 (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-197)
8 Sec. 20. Number of drills; incidents covered; local 
9authority participation.  
10 (a) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
11minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare 
12students and school personnel for fire incidents. These drills 
13must meet all of the following criteria:
14  (1) One of the 3 school evacuation drills shall 
15 require the participation of the appropriate local fire 
16 department or district.
17   (A) Each local fire department or fire district 
18 must contact the appropriate school administrator or 
19 his or her designee no later than September 1 of each 
20 year in order to arrange for the participation of the 
21 department or district in the school evacuation drill.
22   (B) Each school administrator or his or her 
23 designee must contact the responding local fire 
 
 
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1 official no later than September 15 of each year and 
2 propose to the local fire official 4 dates within the 
3 month of October, during at least 2 different weeks of 
4 October, on which the drill shall occur. The fire 
5 official may choose any of the 4 available dates, and 
6 if he or she does so, the drill shall occur on that 
7 date.
8   (C) The school administrator or his or her 
9 designee and the local fire official may also, by 
10 mutual agreement, set any other date for the drill, 
11 including a date outside of the month of October.
12   (D) If the fire official does not select one of the 
13 4 offered dates in October or set another date by 
14 mutual agreement, the requirement that the school 
15 include the local fire service in one of its mandatory 
16 school evacuation drills shall be waived. Schools, 
17 however, shall continue to be strongly encouraged to 
18 include the fire service in a school evacuation drill 
19 at a mutually agreed-upon time.
20   (E) Upon the participation of the local fire 
21 service, the appropriate local fire official shall 
22 certify that the school evacuation drill was 
23 conducted.
24   (F) When scheduling the school evacuation drill, 
25 the school administrator or his or her designee and 
26 the local fire department or fire district may, by 
 
 
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1 mutual agreement on or before September 14, choose to 
2 waive the provisions of subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
3 (D) of this paragraph (1).
4  Additional school evacuation drills for fire incidents 
5 may involve the participation of the appropriate local 
6 fire department or district.
7  (2) Schools may conduct additional school evacuation 
8 drills to account for other evacuation incidents, 
9 including without limitation suspicious items or bomb 
10 threats.
11  (3) All drills shall be conducted at each school 
12 building that houses school children.
13 (b) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
14minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill shall be 
15accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in 
16all other educational institutions in this State that are 
17supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds 
18and that provide instruction in any of the grades kindergarten 
19through 12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe 
20bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct 
21additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be 
22conducted at each school building that houses school children.
23 (b-5) Notwithstanding the minimum requirements established 
24by this Act, private schools that do not utilize a bus to 
25transport students for any purpose are exempt from subsection 
26(b) of this Section, provided that the chief school 
 
 
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1administrator of the private school provides written assurance 
2to the State Board of Education that the private school does 
3not plan to utilize a bus to transport students for any purpose 
4during the current academic year. The assurance must be made 
5on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and filed no 
6later than October 15. If a private school utilizes a bus to 
7transport students for any purpose during an academic year 
8when an assurance pursuant to this subsection (b-5) has been 
9filed with the State Board of Education, the private school 
10shall immediately notify the State Board of Education and 
11comply with subsection (b) of this Section no later than 30 
12calendar days after utilization of the bus to transport 
13students, except that, at the discretion of the private 
14school, students chosen for participation in the bus 
15evacuation drill need include only the subgroup of students 
16that are utilizing bus transportation. 
17 (c) During each academic year, schools must conduct a law 
18enforcement lockdown drill to address a school shooting 
19incident. No later than 90 days after the first day of each 
20school year, schools must conduct at least one law enforcement 
21lockdown drill that addresses an active threat or an active 
22shooter within a school building. Such drills must be 
23conducted according to the school district's or private 
24school's emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and 
25procedures to evaluate the preparedness of school personnel 
26and students. Law enforcement lockdown drills must be 
 
 
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1conducted on days and times when students are normally present 
2in the school building and must involve participation from all 
3school personnel and students present at school at the time of 
4the lockdown drill, except that administrators or school 
5support personnel in their discretion may exempt students from 
6the lockdown drill. The appropriate local law enforcement 
7agency shall observe the administration of the lockdown drill. 
8All drills must be conducted at each school building that 
9houses school children. 
10  (1) A law enforcement lockdown drill must meet all of 
11 the following criteria:
12   (A) During each calendar year, the appropriate 
13 local law enforcement agency shall contact the 
14 appropriate school administrator to request to 
15 participate in a law enforcement lockdown drill. The 
16 school administrator and local law enforcement agency 
17 shall set, by mutual agreement, a date for the 
18 lockdown drill.
19   (A-5) The lockdown drill shall require the on-site 
20 participation of the local law enforcement agency. If 
21 a mutually agreeable date cannot be reached between 
22 the school administrator and the appropriate local law 
23 enforcement agency, then the school shall still hold 
24 the lockdown drill without participation from the 
25 agency.
26   (B) Upon the participation of a local law 
 
 
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1 enforcement agency in a law enforcement lockdown 
2 drill, the appropriate local law enforcement official 
3 shall certify that the law enforcement lockdown drill 
4 was conducted and notify the school in a timely manner 
5 of any deficiencies noted during the drill.
6   (C) The lockdown drill must not include 
7 simulations that mimic an actual school shooting 
8 incident or active shooter event.
9   (D) All lockdown drills must be announced in 
10 advance to all school personnel and students prior to 
11 the commencement of the drill.
12   (E) Lockdown drill content must be age appropriate 
13 and developmentally appropriate.
14   (F) Lockdown drills must include and involve 
15 school personnel, including school-based mental health 
16 professionals.
17   (G) Lockdown drills must include trauma-informed 
18 approaches to address the concerns and well-being of 
19 students and school personnel.
20   (H) The lockdown drill must not be conducted on 
21 the day of or within 2 days before a 
22 school-administered standardized test. 
23  (2) Schools may conduct additional law enforcement 
24 drills at their discretion.
25  (3) (Blank).
26  (4) School administrators and school support personnel 
 
 
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1 may, in their discretion, exempt a student or students 
2 from participating in a walk-through lockdown drill. 
3  (5) Schools must provide sufficient information and 
4 notification to parents and guardians in advance of any 
5 walk-through lockdown drill that involves the 
6 participation of students. Schools must also provide to 
7 parents and guardians an opportunity to exempt their child 
8 for any reason from participating in the walk-through 
9 lockdown drill. 
10  (6) Schools must provide alternative safety education 
11 and instruction related to an active threat or active 
12 shooter event to students who do not participate in a 
13 walk-through lockdown drill to provide them with essential 
14 information, training, and instruction through less 
15 sensorial safety training methods. 
16  (7) During the drill, students must be allowed to ask 
17 questions related to the drill. 
18  (8) Law enforcement may choose to run an active 
19 shooter simulation, including simulated gun fire drills, 
20 but only on school days when students are not present. 
21 Parental notification is not required for drills conducted 
22 pursuant to this paragraph (8) if students are not 
23 required to be present. 
24 (d) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
25minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to 
26address and prepare students and school personnel for possible 
 
 
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1tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather 
2and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents, 
3including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous 
4materials. All drills shall be conducted at each school 
5building that houses school children.
6(Source: P.A. 102-395, eff. 8-16-21.)

7 (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-197)
8 Sec. 20. Number of drills; incidents covered; local 
9authority participation.  
10 (a) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
11minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare 
12students and school personnel for fire incidents. These drills 
13must meet all of the following criteria:
14  (1) One of the 3 school evacuation drills shall 
15 require the participation of the appropriate local fire 
16 department or district.
17   (A) Each local fire department or fire district 
18 must contact the appropriate school administrator or 
19 his or her designee no later than September 1 of each 
20 year in order to arrange for the participation of the 
21 department or district in the school evacuation drill.
22   (B) Each school administrator or his or her 
23 designee must contact the responding local fire 
24 official no later than September 15 of each year and 
25 propose to the local fire official 4 dates within the 
 
 
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1 month of October, during at least 2 different weeks of 
2 October, on which the drill shall occur. The fire 
3 official may choose any of the 4 available dates, and 
4 if he or she does so, the drill shall occur on that 
5 date.
6   (C) The school administrator or his or her 
7 designee and the local fire official may also, by 
8 mutual agreement, set any other date for the drill, 
9 including a date outside of the month of October.
10   (D) If the fire official does not select one of the 
11 4 offered dates in October or set another date by 
12 mutual agreement, the requirement that the school 
13 include the local fire service in one of its mandatory 
14 school evacuation drills shall be waived. Schools, 
15 however, shall continue to be strongly encouraged to 
16 include the fire service in a school evacuation drill 
17 at a mutually agreed-upon time.
18   (E) Upon the participation of the local fire 
19 service, the appropriate local fire official shall 
20 certify that the school evacuation drill was 
21 conducted.
22   (F) When scheduling the school evacuation drill, 
23 the school administrator or his or her designee and 
24 the local fire department or fire district may, by 
25 mutual agreement on or before September 14, choose to 
26 waive the provisions of subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
 
 
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1 (D) of this paragraph (1).
2  Additional school evacuation drills for fire incidents 
3 may involve the participation of the appropriate local 
4 fire department or district.
5  (2) Schools may conduct additional school evacuation 
6 drills to account for other evacuation incidents, 
7 including without limitation suspicious items or bomb 
8 threats.
9  (3) All drills shall be conducted at each school 
10 building that houses school children.
11 (b) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
12minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill shall be 
13accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in 
14all other educational institutions in this State that are 
15supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds 
16and that provide instruction in any of the grades kindergarten 
17through 12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe 
18bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct 
19additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be 
20conducted at each school building that houses school children.
21 (b-5) Notwithstanding the minimum requirements established 
22by this Act, private schools that do not utilize a bus to 
23transport students for any purpose are exempt from subsection 
24(b) of this Section, provided that the chief school 
25administrator of the private school provides written assurance 
26to the State Board of Education that the private school does 
 
 
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1not plan to utilize a bus to transport students for any purpose 
2during the current academic year. The assurance must be made 
3on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and filed no 
4later than October 15. If a private school utilizes a bus to 
5transport students for any purpose during an academic year 
6when an assurance pursuant to this subsection (b-5) has been 
7filed with the State Board of Education, the private school 
8shall immediately notify the State Board of Education and 
9comply with subsection (b) of this Section no later than 30 
10calendar days after utilization of the bus to transport 
11students, except that, at the discretion of the private 
12school, students chosen for participation in the bus 
13evacuation drill need include only the subgroup of students 
14that are utilizing bus transportation. 
15 (c) During each academic year, schools must conduct a law 
16enforcement lockdown drill to address a school shooting 
17incident. No later than 90 days after the first day of each 
18school year, schools must conduct at least one law enforcement 
19lockdown drill that addresses an active threat or an active 
20shooter within a school building. Such drills must be 
21conducted according to the school district's or private 
22school's emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and 
23procedures to evaluate the preparedness of school personnel 
24and students. Law enforcement lockdown drills must be 
25conducted on days and times when students are normally present 
26in the school building and must involve participation from all 
 
 
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1school personnel and students present at school at the time of 
2the lockdown drill, except that administrators or school 
3support personnel in their discretion may exempt students from 
4the lockdown drill. The appropriate local law enforcement 
5agency shall observe the administration of the lockdown drill. 
6All drills must be conducted at each school building that 
7houses school children. 
8  (1) A law enforcement lockdown drill must meet all of 
9 the following criteria:
10   (A) During each calendar year, the appropriate 
11 local law enforcement agency shall contact the 
12 appropriate school administrator to request to 
13 participate in a law enforcement lockdown drill. The 
14 school administrator and local law enforcement agency 
15 shall set, by mutual agreement, a date for the 
16 lockdown drill.
17   (A-5) The lockdown drill shall require the on-site 
18 participation of the local law enforcement agency. If 
19 a mutually agreeable date cannot be reached between 
20 the school administrator and the appropriate local law 
21 enforcement agency, then the school shall still hold 
22 the lockdown drill without participation from the 
23 agency.
24   (B) Upon the participation of a local law 
25 enforcement agency in a law enforcement lockdown 
26 drill, the appropriate local law enforcement official 
 
 
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1 shall certify that the law enforcement lockdown drill 
2 was conducted and notify the school in a timely manner 
3 of any deficiencies noted during the drill.
4   (C) The lockdown drill must not include 
5 simulations that mimic an actual school shooting 
6 incident or active shooter event.
7   (D) All lockdown drills must be announced in 
8 advance to all school personnel and students prior to 
9 the commencement of the drill.
10   (E) Lockdown drill content must be age appropriate 
11 and developmentally appropriate.
12   (F) Lockdown drills must include and involve 
13 school personnel, including school-based mental health 
14 professionals.
15   (G) Lockdown drills must include trauma-informed 
16 approaches to address the concerns and well-being of 
17 students and school personnel.
18   (H) The lockdown drill must not be conducted on 
19 the day of or within 2 days before a 
20 school-administered standardized test. 
21  (2) Schools may conduct additional law enforcement 
22 drills at their discretion.
23  (3) (Blank).
24  (4) School administrators and school support personnel 
25 may, in their discretion, exempt a student or students 
26 from participating in a walk-through lockdown drill. When 
 
 
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1 deciding whether to exempt a student from participating in 
2 a walk-through lockdown drill, the administrator and 
3 school support personnel shall include the student's 
4 individualized education program team or federal Section 
5 504 plan team in the decision to exempt the student from 
6 participating. 
7  (5) Schools must provide sufficient information and 
8 notification to parents and guardians in advance of any 
9 walk-through lockdown drill that involves the 
10 participation of students. Schools must also provide to 
11 parents and guardians an opportunity to exempt their child 
12 for any reason from participating in the walk-through 
13 lockdown drill. 
14  (6) Schools must provide alternative safety education 
15 and instruction related to an active threat or active 
16 shooter event to students who do not participate in a 
17 walk-through lockdown drill to provide them with essential 
18 information, training, and instruction through less 
19 sensorial safety training methods. 
20  (7) During the drill, students must be allowed to ask 
21 questions related to the drill. 
22  (8) Law enforcement may choose to run an active 
23 shooter simulation, including simulated gun fire drills, 
24 but only on school days when students are not present. 
25 Parental notification is not required for drills conducted 
26 pursuant to this paragraph (8) if students are not 
 
 
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1 required to be present. 
2 (d) During each academic year, schools must conduct a 
3minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to 
4address and prepare students and school personnel for possible 
5tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather 
6and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents, 
7including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous 
8materials. All drills shall be conducted at each school 
9building that houses school children.
10(Source: P.A. 102-395, eff. 8-16-21; 103-197, eff. 1-1-24.)