The passage of Senate
Bill 8/House Bill 354 changed
several of Kentucky’s school safety statutes. This bill expanded current
law by requiring all public school buildings to include first
responders in their emergency management plans (EMP), and presents an
opportunity to review and refine current emergency and safety practices through
continuous improvement.
To remain compliant with the statute KRS 158.162, all public school buildings must annually review their EMP and make necessary updates before the start of school. The principal or building administrator shall review the EMP with all school and program staff prior to the first instructional day of each school year and shall document the time and date of any discussion. Additional requirements can be reviewed in the Emergency Management Plan Frequently Asked Questions document.
Any facility in
the district in which students are served by the public school district, which
would include all state classified A1 through A6 public
schools or programs, must submit the School Safety Report assigned in the Cognia Continuous Improvement Platform (CIP) by
October 1.
The
superintendent must submit verification that all public school buildings in the
district are in compliance to the Kentucky Department of Education
by November 1 of each school year. This submission will occur by
answering the District Safety Report
assigned in the Cognia Continuous Improvement Platform (CIP) by November 1.
Emergency Operations Plans for Kentucky
School Districts
A federal grant was previously in place to provide the necessary
training to Kentucky school districts for the development and implementation of
a District Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Training goals were to encourage participants to reflect upon and
review current district EOPs while providing guidance in developing
high-quality district EOPs based upon best practices. A federal grant was
received by The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for the purpose of
developing quality district-level EOPs. KDE partnered with the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS) and the Kentucky School Boards
Association (KSBA) to develop and offer this training to all
interested Kentucky school districts.