Washington school drill law

Which drills does Washington require, and how often?

Schools must hold at least one safety-related drill per month, including summer months when school is in session with students. The monthly drills must teach students three basic drill responses: shelter-in-place, lockdown and evacuation.

The legislature says the drill subsection is meant to satisfy all federal requirements for school emergency drills and evacuations. The state superintendent may adopt rules to carry out the section; this is allowed, not required.

What about school bus drills?

Every school district must have written policies or rules setting procedures for school bus safety and emergency exit drills. One actual bus evacuation drill must be held within the first six weeks of school each semester. After the first actual bus exit drill, at least one verbal review must happen before the second actual drill. Schools on trimesters must hold an actual bus evacuation drill within the first six weeks of each trimester, with no verbal review required. Required bus exit drills must be held on school grounds. Bus riders excused from exit drills must get spoken instruction in bus safety and exit drills at least three times during the school year.

What records are required?

Schools must record the date, time and type (shelter-in-place, lockdown or evacuate) of each required drill and keep the records at the school.

What limits apply to realistic drills?

Lockdown drills may not include live simulations or reenactments of active shooter scenarios unless they are trauma-informed and age and developmentally appropriate.

What must the district's safe school plan cover?

Each school district must adopt and carry out a safe school plan. The plan must set guidelines for asking law enforcement, fire departments, emergency service providers and county emergency management to take part in safety-related drills. It must include a family-student reunification plan and procedures for sharing it with staff, students, families and emergency responders. It must cover how substitute teachers and other temporary staff learn the three basic drill responses. Districts are encouraged, not required, to hold one tabletop, one functional and two full-scale exercises with emergency responders within four years. When a first responder agency notifies a school of a situation that may call for an evacuation or lockdown, the agency must check whether other known schools nearby face the same threat.

Who is covered?

Charter schools must follow the state health and safety laws that apply to school districts, to the same extent as districts. For the first responder notice rule, "school" includes private schools. Approved private school buildings must meet reasonable health and fire safety requirements; that statute names no drills. The State Board of Education's rule defines those fire safety requirements as the standards adopted by the state fire marshal. The drill statute opens by stating its purpose in terms of public schools; its drill subsection does not mention private schools, and its only private-school definition is limited to the first responder notice rule.

How does the fire code fit in?

Washington's state building code statute adopts the International Fire Code. Washington's state fire code amendments list section 51-54A-0405, the place for any change to the fire code's drill section, as "Reserved." Washington did not adopt the fire code's lockdown plan section. Washington's state fire code rule adopts the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code. Under the 2021 International Fire Code, which Washington adopts in WAC 51-54A-003, Group E (educational) buildings must hold an emergency evacuation drill every month (the code's drill table marks this frequency with a footnote), with all occupants taking part. Under the same code, a school's first emergency evacuation drill of each school year must be held within 10 days of the start of classes. Washington's own changes to the code's emergency preparedness section (Section 403) cover only assembly points, Group R-2 housing, battery storage and crowd managers; they do not change that first-drill rule. The 2021 International Fire Code adopted in chapter 51-54A WAC took effect in every Washington county and city on March 15, 2024. The state fire marshal's standards adopt that state fire code chapter by reference. In school (Group E) buildings that are licensed by the state and inspected by the state fire marshal's office, the fire marshal's rule requires at least twelve planned and unannounced fire drills every year. In those state-inspected school buildings, the fire drills must be held monthly. Under the same rule, a detailed written record of every fire drill must be kept and available for inspection.

What changed recently, and what bills were filed?

The drill section, RCW 28A.320.125, was last amended in 2024 (2024 c 21 s 1). A 2026 bill, SB 6285, would make the monthly drill encouraged rather than required, with a floor of at least three safety-related drills. SB 6285 was not enacted. Its only action was referral to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on January 22, 2026, and as of October 27, 2026 the official bill page still lists it in that committee. HB 2328 (2026) deals with school maps in safe school plans and would amend the same section, RCW 28A.320.125. HB 2328 was not enacted. Its last action was referral to the House Education committee on January 12, 2026, and as of October 27, 2026 the official bill page still lists it in that committee. SB 6042 (2026) also deals with school maps in safe school plans and would amend RCW 28A.320.125. SB 6042 was not enacted. Its last action was a public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on January 21, 2026, and as of October 27, 2026 the official bill page still lists it in that committee. ESSB 5004 (2025, "Alyssa's law") deals with school emergency response systems such as panic or alert buttons. It amends only RCW 28A.320.126, not the drill section, and sets no drill requirement.