HB 1125 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
16Feb2022... 0141h
2022 SESSION
22-2715
10/08
HOUSE BILL 1125
AN ACT relative to school emergency plans.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 4; Rep. Cornell, Hills. 18; Rep. Porter, Hills. 1
COMMITTEE: Education
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ANALYSIS
This bill provides for the submission of school emergency response plans to the director of homeland security and emergency management of the department of safety, rather than to the department of education.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
16Feb2022... 0141h 22-2715
10/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two
AN ACT relative to school emergency plans.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Schools; Emergency Response Plans. Amend RSA 189:64 to read as follows:
189:64 Emergency Response Plans.
I. Every public, chartered public, and nonpublic school shall develop a site-specific school emergency response plan which is based on and conforms to the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System and submit such plan to the [department of education] director of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety by September 1 of each year. [Upon receiving a school's emergency management plan, the department shall provide a copy of such plan to the director of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety. The plan should be documented at the time of school approval review.] Access to all plans shall be provided to the department of education. The plan shall provide that at least 4 of the currently required number of fire evacuation drills shall be emergency, all-hazard response drills of which at least one shall test emergency response to an armed assailant. The armed assailant drill may be discussion based. The types of all-hazard drills and exercises and the manner and time in which these activities take place shall be determined by the school in collaboration with local public safety, emergency management, and public health officials. The school may include students and first responders in all-hazard response drills or activities, as appropriate. The plan shall address hazards including but not limited to acts of violence, threats, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, structural fire, wildfire, internal and external hazardous materials releases, medical emergencies, and any other hazard deemed necessary by school officials and local emergency authorities. The first emergency response drill shall be conducted within one year of the completion of the plan. If the school has a building schematic floor plan diagram, the school may, with the approval of the local school board, submit the diagram to the division of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety, in a commonly used digital format. Submission of the diagram will enable the state to better prepare, respond, and mitigate potentially dangerous conditions should the need arise.
II. Each school shall provide the plan to, and coordinate the plan with, local emergency authorities and with the emergency operations plan in the municipality in which the school is located. Each school shall review its plan at least annually and update the plan, as necessary, and shall submit the updated plan to the [department of education] director of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety by September 1. If after review, the plan is unchanged, the school shall notify the department of safety by September 1 that the plan is unchanged. [The department shall provide a copy of any updated plan to the director of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety.] The director of homeland security and emergency management, department of safety shall assist school districts in conducting training for and providing support to school districts in the development, implementation, and review of an emergency response plan, as may be needed.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.