Bill Text: NY S02864 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires the board of education to ensure that every public elementary and secondary school install at least one emergency alarm for use in non-fire school security emergencies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S02864 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S02864-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2864 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 18, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the board of education to ensure that every public elementary and secondary school install at least one emergency alarm for use in non-fire school secu- rity emergencies, and requiring emergency drills and training for public and private schools, colleges and universities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "school emergency preparedness act". 3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 409-m to 4 read as follows: 5 § 409-m. Installation of emergency alarms in public schools. 1. For 6 the purposes of this section, "emergency alarm" shall mean a silent 7 security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device 8 intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring a 9 response from law enforcement. 10 2. Upon an appropriation by the state to fulfill the requirements of 11 this section, it shall be the duty of the board of education, trustees, 12 principal or other person in charge of any public elementary and second- 13 ary school within the state to install at least one emergency alarm for 14 use in a non-fire school security emergency. The alarm shall be inter- 15 connected to a designated local law enforcement agency, so that upon 16 activation of such alarm, a signal or message shall be automatically 17 transmitted to the designated local law enforcement agency. 18 3. Every school authority and the governing body that possesses juris- 19 diction for each local law enforcement agency is hereby authorized, by 20 agreement between such parties, to apportion the costs of installing and 21 maintaining any such interconnection. Costs for installing and maintain- 22 ing alarm interconnection between schools and local law enforcement EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04914-01-7S. 2864 2 1 agencies are hereby deemed appropriate expenditures to be paid from the 2 funds of such school authorities and governing bodies. 3 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to read 4 as follows: 5 § 817. Emergency drills. 1. (a) It shall be the duty of the principal 6 or official in charge of every public or private school or educational 7 institution within the state, other than colleges or universities, to 8 instruct and to train the students by means of emergency drills, so that 9 such students may, in the event of a non-fire school security emergency 10 situation, be prepared to leave the school building or gather in a pre- 11 determined safe area of the building in the shortest possible time and 12 without confusion or panic. 13 (b) Such emergency drills or rapid dismissals shall be held at least 14 two times in each school year. At least one of such drills shall be held 15 between September first and December first of each such year. 16 (c) In the course of at least one of such drills, students shall be 17 instructed on the procedure to be followed in the event that a non-fire 18 school security emergency situation occurs during the lunch period; 19 provided, however, that such additional instruction may be waived where 20 a drill is held during the regular school lunch period. 21 (d) At lease one additional drill shall be held in each school year, 22 during the hours after sunset and before sunrise, in school buildings in 23 which students are provided with sleeping accommodations. 24 (e) At least one additional drill shall be held during the first week 25 of summer school in buildings where summer school classes are conducted. 26 2. In the case of after-school programs, events or performances which 27 are conducted within a school building and which include persons who do 28 not regularly attend classes in such school building, the principal or 29 official in charge of the building shall require the teacher or person 30 in charge of such after-school program, event or performance to notify 31 persons in attendance at the beginning of each such program, event or 32 performance, of the procedures to be followed in the event of an emer- 33 gency so that they may be prepared to leave the building or gather in a 34 pre-determined safe area of the building in a timely, orderly manner. 35 3. It shall be the duty of the board of education or school board or 36 other body having control of the schools in any district or city to 37 cause a copy of this section to be printed in the manual or handbook 38 prepared for the guidance of teachers, where such manual or handbook is 39 in use or may hereafter come into use. 40 4. (a) It shall be the duty of the official in charge of every public 41 or private college or university within the state, to instruct and train 42 the students by means of emergency drills, so that they may in the event 43 of a non-fire school security emergency situation, be prepared to leave 44 the college or university building or gather in a pre-determined safe 45 area of the building in the shortest possible time and without confusion 46 or panic. 47 (b) Such emergency drills or rapid dismissals shall be held at least 48 two times in each year. At least one of such drills shall be held 49 between September first and December first of each such year. 50 (c) At least one of such drills shall be held during the first week of 51 a summer session in the buildings where summer session classes are 52 conducted. 53 (d) At least one additional drill shall be held in each year, during 54 the hours after sunset and before sunrise, in college or university 55 buildings in which students are provided with sleeping accommodations. 56 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.