Kentucky school drill law

What drills does Kentucky require?

KRS 158.162 requires each local board of education to have the principal of every public school building hold, at a minimum, a set of emergency response drills.

A building lockdown practice must be held at least twice each school year: at least one in the first 30 instructional days and one in January. A drop procedure and safe-area evacuation practice, for earthquakes and tornadoes, must also be held at least twice a year, with the first in the first 30 instructional days.

What about school bus drills?

Each school district must hold two school bus evacuations each semester, with the first held in the first week of the semester. Each district must keep documentation of how its bus emergency evacuations were carried out.

What about fire drills?

Required fire drills follow the regulations of the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, not a count set in the education statute. Those regulations, the Kentucky Standards of Safety, adopt the 2018 edition of NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and apply to all buildings except one- and two-family homes. Under NFPA 101 (2018), which Kentucky adopts in 815 KAR 10:060, schools must hold at least one emergency egress drill (a practice evacuation) every month they are in session. The same rule appears in the code's chapter for new school buildings (§ 14.7.2.3) and its chapter for existing ones (§ 15.7.2.3). The monthly drills may be deferred only when both conditions are met: the school is in a climate where the weather is severe, and it still holds the required number of drills, with at least four held before any are deferred.

Who is covered?

The emergency response drills in KRS 158.162 fall on principals of public school buildings. The lockdown procedure duty in KRS 158.164 is placed on local boards of education, for each public school building in their jurisdiction. Kentucky public charter schools are exempt from most education statutes and regulations, but must follow the same health and safety requirements that apply to all public schools. The earthquake and tornado procedure system, with its drop and safe-area practice, also covers private and parochial schools in buildings that hold 50 or more students or have more than one classroom.

Are there limits on realistic drills?

KRS 158.164(4) sets only how often lockdown practice is held; it sets no rule on simulated gunfire, role-played attackers or student opt-outs. KRS 158.162(5)(a)1 likewise sets only the number and timing of severe weather, earthquake and lockdown drills, with no rule on simulated gunfire, role-played attackers or student opt-outs.

How are law enforcement and first responders involved?

Whenever possible, first responders must be invited to observe emergency response drills. Local law enforcement agencies must be invited to help set lockdown procedures. Students and all staff must be told about building lockdown procedures every year. The district school safety coordinator's recommended policies take an all-hazards approach, including drills for hostage, active shooter and lockdown situations, planned with fire, police and emergency medical services.

What must the school emergency plan include?

Each school's emergency plan must include procedures for medical emergencies, fire, severe weather, earthquakes and building lockdowns. Each school must set primary and secondary evacuation routes for every room and post them by each doorway used for evacuation.

What must be reported to the state?

By November 1 of each school year, the district superintendent must send the Kentucky Department of Education verification that every school in the district meets KRS 158.162.

What has changed recently?

The current KRS 158.162 took effect July 15, 2024. Its official history lists the last amendments as 2024 Ky. Acts chapters 165 and 208, with no amendment after 2024. 2026 HB 652 (effective April 14, 2026) amended the School Mapping Data Program law, which supplies school map data for emergencies and for the drills KRS 158.162 requires.