School emergency operations plan laws by state
What every state requires of school emergency operations plans: who must have one, what goes in it, and how often it's reviewed.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 26, 2026
- Required by law43
- Required by state rule6
- Fire code only2
What is a school emergency operations plan law?
A school emergency operations plan law tells districts or schools to write down how they will prevent, respond to and recover from emergencies. Texas, for example, requires each school district to adopt a multihazard emergency operations plan that addresses prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, reunification and recovery. Every state and the District of Columbia sets some plan duty for schools, but it comes from different places. In 42 states and the District of Columbia it is in a statute (a law passed by the legislature). In Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming it comes from a state education rule. In Hawaii and North Dakota it comes through the state fire code, not a school statute. The laws differ in who writes the plan. Alabama requires a plan for each school, Pennsylvania puts the duty on every school district, and New York requires both a district-wide plan and a plan for each building.
What does each state's plan law require?
The table below gives the plan rules in every state and the District of Columbia as of October 26, 2026.
| State | What the plan must cover | Law or rule | Review and submission | Confidential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Hazards found by examining each school, lockdown, fire and severe weather protocols, notice to police, responders and parents, and four set alert levels. | Ala. Code § 16-1-44 | Reviewed and revised annually as needed; a copy goes to law enforcement or safety officials when they ask, with no state filing set in § 16-1-44 | Yes: kept in a secure place and not a public record |
| Alaska | A person in charge and a substitute, a named crisis team, a communication plan, disaster procedures, evacuation and lockdown, and discipline during a crisis. | AS 14.33.100 | Reviewed and updated annually as appropriate; copies go to each local agency with a role in the plan | The plan must be printed and available for public inspection |
| Arizona | A plan for each school, made with local police and emergency agencies under ADE/DEMA minimum standards, covering how responders help students with disabilities. | A.R.S. 15-341(A)(31); 15-183(E)(10) for charter schools | School Safety Program schools get an outside safety assessment every five years that reviews each site's plan | Blueprints and floor plans are not public records; boards may discuss safety plans in closed session |
| Arkansas | Each school's emergency operation plan must include a cardiac emergency response protocol with a response team and yearly cardiac arrest drills. | Ark. Code §§ 6-18-713(g), 6-15-1303(j); 6 CAR § 249-102 | District safety teams review the plans, and a safety assessment every three years includes a plan review; floor plans and contacts go to first responders | The safety assessment and the floor plans given to responders are not public records |
| California | A crime assessment, child abuse reporting, disaster procedures adapted for pupils with disabilities, an earthquake system, and use of schools as shelters. | Cal. Educ. Code §§ 32281, 32282, 32286 | Reviewed and updated by March 1 each year, approved by the district or county office, and shared with law enforcement and fire | Partly: tactical-response portions may be withheld, but a file of safety plans must be open for public inspection |
| Colorado | Safety teams and incident command roles for each school, operating locations, NIMS and incident command, and procedures for working with police, parents and media. | C.R.S. 22-32-109.1(4) | Each school writes an evaluation after exercises and incidents and uses it when updating plans; the state fire division may ask about the plan | The general records law lets a custodian deny records whose release would be against the public interest |
| Connecticut | A plan for each school built on state DESPP standards: an all-hazards approach, a NIMS command structure, crisis procedures and protocols for federal immigration agents at school. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 10-222m, 10-222n | Reviewed every year and updated if needed; submitted to DESPP every year | Partly: the FOIA safety-risk exemption names emergency plans; parts not exempt go to the school community on request |
| Delaware | A NIMS-compliant Comprehensive School Safety Plan built with the state safety department and first responders, using the department's Emergency Preparedness Guidelines. | 29 Del. C. § 8237 | Approved by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security; proposed revisions are sent after each required exercise | FOIA excludes emergency response plans that would reveal vulnerabilities or security procedures (a general rule, not school-specific) |
| District of Columbia | DC Public Schools must create school building security and emergency operations plans with police and HSEMA, and every school needs a cardiac emergency response plan. | D.C. Code §§ 5-132.03a(a)(5), 7-2371.02c | Agency guidance: each school submits its emergency response plan through CORE DC by the start of each school year | D.C. FOIA may exempt terrorism response plans and vulnerability assessments (a general rule) |
| Florida | An active assailant response plan and a family reunification plan, plus district policies for fires, natural disasters, active assailants, hostages and bomb threats. | Fla. Stat. § 1006.07 | Reunification plan reviewed every year; floor plans go to police and fire, with revisions due by October 1 | Yes: security and firesafety plans, including threat response and evacuation plans, are confidential and exempt |
| Georgia | Preparedness for natural disasters, hazardous materials, violence and terrorism, plus security measures, exercised emergency plans, crisis communications and threat assessment. | O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1185 | Reviewed and, if necessary, updated each year; sent to the local emergency management agency for approval and to local police and GEMA/HS | Legislative Counsel's summary of HB 763 (2018) says school safety plans need not be publicly disclosed |
| Hawaii | No school statute: the duty comes from the State Fire Code, whose NFPA 1 (2024) requires an emergency action plan covering reporting, staff response and evacuation. | Hawaii State Fire Code § 4, adopting NFPA 1 (2024) § 10.4 | Reviewed and updated, and submitted to the fire authority, when the fire authority requires it | HIDOE has told lawmakers plans hold sensitive details; that is its position, not a legal exemption |
| Idaho | A board-approved emergency operations plan for each school that meets the state School Safety and Security Advisory Board's guidelines, made with local responders. | Idaho Code § 33-512(16)(b) | Reviewed at least annually | General exemption for critical-infrastructure records, which may include emergency response plans, when release would jeopardize safety |
| Illinois | Roles with a chain of command and backups, responses to weather, fire, bomb threats, intruders, hazmat and medical emergencies, reunification, and rapid police entry. | 105 ILCS 128/25; 29 Ill. Adm. Code 1500.20 | Reviewed at an annual meeting with local first responders invited; a signed report goes to the regional superintendent | Crisis response mapping data from the state grant program are confidential |
| Indiana | Threats to physical safety, unauthorized access, disasters and drills, an armed intruder drill protocol with disability accommodations, and a site vulnerability assessment. | IC 10-21-1-10 | Given to local police and fire, filed with the county school safety commission, and open to IDHS inspection | Yes: the school and those who receive the plan must keep it confidential |
| Iowa | Responses to active shooter scenarios and natural disasters, plus published procedures for staff, parents and guardians to report possible threats. | Iowa Code § 280.30 | Reviewed and updated annually, developed with local emergency management and law enforcement | Yes: confidential and not a public record |
| Kansas | A board-approved crisis plan with procedures for visitors, securing buildings in an emergency, and evacuation and reunification plans, routes and sites. | State Board Safe and Secure School Standards 5 and 8 | Must be kept up to date, with no set interval; sent to the State Board after local approval | Under the open records law, agencies need not disclose emergency or security procedures that would jeopardize safety (a permissive rule) |
| Kentucky | Procedures for medical emergency, fire, severe weather, earthquake and lockdown, a written cardiac emergency response plan, and mapping data or an AED diagram. | KRS 158.162 | Reviewed after each school year with the nurse, council, principal and first responders; compliance verified to KDE by November 1 | Yes: excluded from the Open Records Act |
| Louisiana | Violence and shootings at school, on buses and at activities, plus any other emergency, with classroom doors locked while students are inside, except between classes. | La. R.S. 17:416.16 | Reviewed at least once a year with local police, fire and emergency officials, and revised as needed | Yes: emergency operations plans are exempt from public records |
| Maine | No hazards or procedures are listed; the plan must meet nationally recognized practices and be developed with appropriate stakeholders. | 20-A M.R.S. §1001(16) | Approved by the school board every year; the statute sets no duty to file the plan | Partly: scope, roles, chain of command and parent communication are public; the rest is limited by a records exemption |
| Maryland | Mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for natural, man-made and technological hazards, behavioral threats, and accommodations for students with disabilities. | Md. Code, Educ. § 7-1510(d); COMAR 13A.02.02 | Updated regularly and submitted to the Maryland Center for School Safety for review and comment | Yes: records custodians must deny inspection of school emergency plans |
| Massachusetts | A multi-hazard evacuation plan for fires, storms, shootings and bomb threats, plus a medical and behavioral health emergency plan with rapid communication and AEDs. | St. 2000, c. 159, § 363; M.G.L. c. 69 § 8A | Section 8A response steps are reviewed yearly with fire and police, and plans are filed every 3 years with DESE, police and fire by September 1 | The records law exempts emergency preparedness records where release would likely jeopardize public safety |
| Michigan | Violence and threats, bomb threats, fire, weather, intruders, reunification, an active violence protocol, continuity of operations and a vulnerability assessment. | MCL 380.1308b | Reviewed at least every two years with law enforcement; notice goes to the Department of Education within 30 days | Yes: confidential and exempt from FOIA |
| Minnesota | A crisis management policy for violent crisis situations that includes at least five lock-down drills, five fire drills and one tornado drill. | Minn. Stat. § 121A.035 | Not addressed | Security information is nonpublic under the general Data Practices Act, which does not name school crisis policies |
| Mississippi | A comprehensive district school safety plan adopted with the MDE School Safety Center; the state manual lists fire, bomb, weather, intruder and hazmat protocols. | Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-83(2) | Updated annually and approved by the school board each year; § 37-3-83(2) sets no duty to file it with an agency | Plan documents with the listed preventive services are exempt from the Public Records Act |
| Missouri | School safety, crises and emergency operations, from prevention to follow-up, with police, fire and emergency management, and mental health support. | RSMo 160.480 | Shared with local law enforcement, fire and emergency management; the statute sets no filing with DESE | The Sunshine Law allows closing security systems and structural plans where release would threaten safety |
| Montana | Buildings, communications and grounds, local hazards with drills, a threat assessment protocol and team, and coordination with the county school safety team. | MCA 20-1-401 | Reviewed at least annually; trustees certify the review to OPI each year | Officers may withhold facility security information when release would jeopardize safety |
| Nebraska | A board-approved safety and security plan for each school system covering students, staff and visitors, prepared or reviewed by a school safety committee. | 92 NAC 10 § 011.01 | Reviewed annually by an outside reviewer; districts give plans to the state school security director | The Department may withhold submitted plans as security information, at its discretion |
| Nevada | The state model plan, a clear chain of authority, extracurricular emergencies, active assailant training, trauma-informed pupil support, parent notice and a cardiac plan. | NRS 388.241, 388.243, 388.245 | Reviewed and updated yearly; submitted to the Office of Emergency Management by August 15 | Yes: plans are confidential |
| New Hampshire | Violence, cyber incidents, medical emergencies, fire, threats and severe weather, based on ICS and NIMS, with all-hazard drills including an armed assailant drill. | RSA 189:64 | Reviewed at least annually; submitted to HSEM by October 15 each year | The Right-to-Know law exempts certain emergency-function records that safety officials develop |
| New Jersey | Prevention, intervention, response and recovery for emergencies and crises, a climate of civility, support services, and protocols for students with disabilities. | N.J.A.C. 6A:16-5.1; N.J.S.A. 18A:41-15 | Reviewed annually and updated as appropriate; critical incident mapping data goes to local law enforcement | OPRA excludes building emergency or security procedures whose release would jeopardize security |
| New Mexico | A safety plan for each school building with an introduction, school policies and procedures, prevention, an emergency operations plan, and restraint and seclusion rules. | 6.12.6.8(D)(7) NMAC | Submitted to PED for approval on a three-year cycle | The records law exempts tactical response plans that could reveal vulnerabilities |
| New York | Responses to threats of violence, contacting police, bomb threats, hostage-takings and intrusions, a chief emergency officer, a cardiac plan, and building floor plans. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 2801-a; 8 NYCRR § 155.17 | Reviewed at least annually; district plans go to the commissioner and building plans to police and the State Police by October 1 | Partly: building-level plans are confidential and exempt from FOIL; district plans go out for public comment |
| North Carolina | A School Risk Management Plan on school violence for each school, built in the state system; the statute lists no required contents. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-47(40) | A yearly school-wide tabletop exercise and drill based on the plan, reported to the Center for Safer Schools | Yes: plans are not public records |
| North Dakota | The duty comes from the State Fire Code (2018 IFC): an approved fire safety and evacuation plan for each school; state law only allows a district safety plan. | N.D. Admin. Code § 10-07-01-04, adopting the 2018 IFC; N.D. Cent. Code § 15.1-09-60 | Reviewed or updated every year; a copy goes to the fire code official on request | The student-security parts of a district school safety plan are exempt from open records |
| Ohio | Hazards found by examining each building, a threat protocol with floor plans, a site plan and emergency contacts, a threat assessment plan, and threat assessment teams. | Ohio Rev. Code § 5502.262 | Certified current by September 1 each year; a copy goes to the state at least every three years and to law enforcement | Yes: plans are security records, not public records |
| Oklahoma | Written plans and procedures protecting students, faculty, administrators and visitors from natural and man-made disasters; no specific elements are named. | 63 O.S. § 681 | Reviewed and updated annually; filed with local emergency responders by November 1 | Schools may keep campus security plans confidential |
| Oregon | Procedures for evacuation, hold, lockdown, secure and shelter in place, communicable disease, medical emergencies, and emergency instruction. | ORS 339.405; OAR 581-022-2225 | The governing body reviews the safety plan every two years | Records that would reveal security measures are conditionally exempt |
| Pennsylvania | A disaster response and emergency preparedness plan following PEMA guidelines, with NIMS considered, a yearly drill and an incident command package of floor plans and rosters. | 35 Pa.C.S. § 7701(g); 22 Pa. Code § 10.24 | Reviewed annually; copies go to the county emergency management agency and local police and fire | The Right-to-Know Law exempts records that would endanger building security; the district must prove the exemption |
| Rhode Island | Prevention through recovery, protocols for swatting, bomb threats, hostages and intrusions, contacting police, EMS and parents, hallway lockdown steps and drills. | R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 16-21-23 to 16-21-25 | Reviewed and updated by the school committee by November 1 each year | Documents the school safety teams produce are not public records |
| South Carolina | Updated school safety and fire plans with classroom safety directives, a safe exit strategy and safety staff, made with police and fire marshals to draw state aid. | FY 2026-27 Appropriations Act, proviso 1A.36; S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 43-166(D) | Districts notify the Department of Education by September 1 that the updated plans are complete | Threat Assessment & School Safety Plans are exempt from FOIA |
| South Dakota | A written plan for the safety of pupils, with fire, tornado and other disaster drills held under it. | ARSD 24:43:09:01 | Filed with the local superintendent, along with a record of drill dates and times | The records law exempts protective details of response plans and emergency management |
| Tennessee | District-wide and building-level plans on crisis intervention, emergency response and emergency management, using the state template, with a fire-alarm cause procedure. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-804 | Safety teams review plans every year; plans go to local police and the Departments of Education and Safety by July 1 | Department of Safety copies are confidential; plan meetings are exempt from open meetings |
| Texas | Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, reunification and recovery, plus staff training, classroom emergency phones, standard response terms, drills and responder coordination. | Tex. Educ. Code § 37.108 | Submitted to the Texas School Safety Center within 30 days of its request; the center reviews plans on its own cycle | Audit documents and the center's plan reviews are not subject to the Public Information Act |
| Utah | Prevention, intervention and response, consistent with discipline policies, coordinated with police, with off-campus notice, evacuation and the state incident response grid. | Utah Code 53G-4-402(20); Utah Admin. Code R277-400 | Reviewed at least every three years; practice and review are certified to the State Board by July 1 | Students get access to the plans, and parents and staff get written notice of the sections that apply |
| Vermont | An all-hazards plan for each school site, at least as full as the state template, which must include cardiac and AED protocols and an athletic emergency action plan. | 16 V.S.A. § 1480 | Reviewed and updated annually with local first responders and emergency management | Unpublished emergency response plans for public buildings are exempt if release would likely jeopardize safety |
| Virginia | Natural disasters, utility loss, accidents, medical emergencies including cardiac arrest, bomb and weapons threats, hazardous spills, trespassers, missing students, hostages and violence. | Va. Code § 22.1-279.8(D) | Reviewed annually with first responders; the superintendent certifies the review to the state center by August 31 | FOIA excludes security plans from mandatory disclosure, though the custodian may release them |
| Washington | Safety policies, mitigation through recovery, help for students and staff with disabilities, family-student reunification, and use of schools in community emergencies. | RCW 28A.320.125 | Reviewed and updated annually with local emergency agencies, to the extent funds are available | Exempt only to the extent the information identifies specific vulnerabilities |
| West Virginia | A person in charge and a substitute, a communication plan, harm and trauma protocols, disaster procedures, evacuation and lockdown, and discipline during a crisis. | W. Va. Code §18-9F-9 | Reviewed every year; filed with the county board and DHSEM by August 1 | Partly: a redacted copy is open for public inspection on request |
| Wisconsin | A plan for each building with guidelines from prevention to recovery and for violence, bomb threats, fire, weather, intruders, reunification and non-classroom events. | Wis. Stat. § 118.07(4) | Reviewed and approved at least every 3 years; filed with the Office of School Safety before each January 1 | The Office of School Safety's confidentiality duty covers blueprints and mapping data, not the plan itself |
| Wyoming | Each school's physical-safety strategies are defined in a district crisis management plan, and licensed private schools need an Emergency Operating Plan. | WDE Rules Ch. 6 § 5(n)(ii); Ch. 18 § 13(b) | The superintendent attests by November 1 each year that all schools meet the accreditation criteria | Records custodians may deny inspection of emergency or security procedures |
"Not addressed" means no confirmed state rule on that point was found; it is not proof that none exists.
Which states require a plan by law?
In 42 states and the District of Columbia, a statute requires a school emergency plan, though the scope varies. Missouri requires each district board and charter school board to adopt a comprehensive emergency operations plan, and Iowa requires district boards and accredited nonpublic schools to plan for the district and each building. Some statutes reach the plan only indirectly. Arkansas law requires each school to build a cardiac emergency response protocol into its emergency operation plan and requires district safety teams to review those plans. South Carolina ties its plan duty to state aid: districts must work with local police and fire marshals on updated school safety and fire plans to draw down Aid to Districts funds. In six states the duty comes from a state rule. Kansas's State Board standard requires an up-to-date, board-approved crisis plan, Nebraska's accreditation rule requires each school system to have a safety and security plan, and South Dakota's rule requires each school board to prepare a written plan for pupil safety. New Jersey's rule requires each district to develop and carry out safety and security plans for its public schools, New Mexico's rule requires a school safety plan at each school building, and Wyoming's accreditation rules say each school's physical-safety strategies are defined in a district crisis management plan. Hawaii and North Dakota have no school statute that requires a plan. Hawaii's State Fire Code adopts NFPA 1 (2024), which requires an emergency action plan for educational occupancies; of the bills that would have required school emergency plans, HB 1837 (2024) lists no Act and HB 2556 (2026) shows no action after committee referral. North Dakota's State Fire Code adopts the 2018 International Fire Code, which requires an approved fire safety and evacuation plan for every school. That is narrower than a full emergency operations plan. N.D. Cent. Code § 15.1-09-60 only allows ("may"), and does not require, a district school safety plan.
What must a plan contain?
Here is what the laws most often name, with examples from the state records. Hazard lists vary. Kentucky names medical emergency, fire, severe weather, earthquake and building lockdown; Michigan names school violence, bomb threats, fire, weather and intruders; New Hampshire adds cyber incidents. Reunification is named in Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin, and Florida requires a separate family reunification plan for when a school is closed or unexpectedly evacuated. Students with disabilities are named in Arizona, California, Maryland and Washington: Arizona's plan must address how responders will communicate with and assist them, and California's disaster procedures must include adaptations for pupils with disabilities. Kentucky and Nevada require a cardiac emergency response plan in the school plan, New York's district-wide safety team must develop one, and Arkansas schools must add a cardiac protocol to their emergency operation plan. Some laws require maps. New York's building-level plan must include floor plans or other maps of the school, and Ohio's emergency response protocol must include a floor plan for each floor and a site plan. Threat assessment shows up in Ohio, Montana and Indiana: Ohio's plan must include a threat assessment plan, Montana's must name a threat assessment team that meets at least monthly, and Indiana's must establish a multi-disciplinary threat assessment team. A few laws list no required contents. Maine's statute names no hazards or procedures, North Carolina's statute does not list what its School Risk Management Plan must contain, and Oklahoma's statute names no specific plan elements.
How often must a plan be reviewed?
A yearly review is the most common rule. Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania all require the plan to be reviewed every year, with updates as needed. Some states set a date. California requires each school to review and update its plan by March 1, Rhode Island by November 1, and Nevada requires the updated plan to reach the board by August 1. Others review less often. Michigan requires a review at least every two years with a law enforcement agency, Oregon's rule sets a review every two years, Utah's rule every three years, and Wisconsin requires the board to review and approve the plan at least every 3 years. Ohio requires each administrator to certify by September 1 every year that the plan is current, and its rule requires the plan to be updated at least every three years. Under fire codes, North Dakota's adopted 2018 IFC requires a yearly review of the fire safety and evacuation plan, while Hawaii's adopted NFPA 1 (2024) leaves the review schedule to the fire authority.
Must a plan be sent to the state or first responders?
Some states require the plan itself to be filed with a state agency. New Hampshire schools submit it to Homeland Security and Emergency Management by October 15, Nevada boards to the Office of Emergency Management by August 15, Wisconsin boards to the Office of School Safety before each January 1, and Connecticut boards to DESPP every year. New York requires district-wide plans to go to the commissioner by October 1 each year, and building-level plans to go to local law enforcement and the State Police within 30 days of adoption. Others send it to local responders. Oklahoma requires plans to be filed with each local emergency response organization by November 1, Pennsylvania requires copies for the county emergency management agency and local police and fire departments, and Indiana requires the plan to go to local police and fire. Some require only a certification or notice. Montana trustees certify the yearly review to the Office of Public Instruction, Virginia superintendents certify it to the state center by August 31, and Michigan sends the Department of Education notice within 30 days of a review or adoption. Some statutes set no filing at all. Maine's plan statute sets no duty to file or share the plan, Missouri's requires sharing with local responders but no filing with DESE, and Washington's requires review with local emergency agencies but no filing. In Alabama and Texas, the plan goes out on request: Alabama boards give a copy to law enforcement or safety officials when they ask, and Texas districts submit to the Texas School Safety Center within 30 days of its request.
Are school emergency plans confidential?
In many states the plan law itself closes the plan. Alabama, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio make plans confidential or keep them out of public records by statute. Maryland requires records custodians to deny inspection of school emergency plans, and Florida makes security and firesafety plans, including emergency evacuation plans, confidential and exempt. Some states open the plan in part. New York keeps building-level plans confidential but puts the district-wide plan out for public comment, and Maine makes the plan's scope, chain of command and parent-communication strategies public. A few require public access. Alaska requires the plan to be available for public inspection, and West Virginia requires a redacted copy to be available on request. Elsewhere only a general public-records exemption applies, and it is often up to the records custodian. Virginia's FOIA excludes security plans from mandatory disclosure but lets the custodian release them, and Washington's exemption covers plan information only to the extent it identifies specific vulnerabilities.
Do private and charter schools need a plan?
Some states put private schools under the same plan law. New Hampshire covers public, chartered public and nonpublic schools, Wisconsin covers private school governing bodies, Iowa covers accredited nonpublic schools, and Vermont covers approved and recognized independent schools. Illinois requires private schools to hold an annual plan review meeting, Indiana requires state accredited nonpublic schools to adopt a local school safety and emergency plan, and Nevada and Tennessee require private schools to have their own plans. Others make it optional or leave private schools out. Indiana lets accredited nonpublic schools choose whether to also adopt a fuller school safety plan under IC 10-21-1-10, North Carolina only encourages private church schools and qualified nonpublic schools to adopt one, and the plan statutes in Texas, Missouri, Colorado, Delaware and Utah do not reach private schools. Charter schools are named in many plan laws, including Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada and Ohio, and Texas applies its plan law to open-enrollment charter schools. Wisconsin's school laws, including its safety-plan duty, do not apply to charter schools unless a provision says so, and the District of Columbia's statutory plan duty applies to DC Public Schools, not to charter or private schools.
What changed in 2025–2026?
Missouri made its plan mandatory. Before SB 68 (2025), school boards were only allowed to adopt an emergency preparedness plan; SB 68 made it a required comprehensive emergency operations plan, effective August 28, 2025. Louisiana's Act 821 of 2026 renamed the school plans "emergency operations plans", effective August 1, 2026. Texas's HB 121 (2025) amended § 37.108, effective September 1, 2025, adding reunification to the phases the plan must address. Connecticut's P.A. 26-1, signed March 3, 2026, rewrote the plan submission section: boards submit every school's plan to DESPP each year and, from July 1, 2026, share the parts not exempt from disclosure with the school community on request. Maryland's 2026 Chapter 666, effective July 1, 2026, made each school system's annual report to the Maryland Center for School Safety confidential. Oregon's HB 3038 (2025) created the comprehensive safety program section, and HB 4160 (2026) adds a cardiac emergency response plan, effective July 1, 2027. Michigan amended its plan law with 2026 PA 1, effective February 10, 2026, and Oklahoma's HB 1675 (2026) amends its plan statute effective November 1, 2026. Some bills did not pass. Nebraska's LB670, which would have required district and nonpublic school safety plans, was indefinitely postponed on April 17, 2026, and Rhode Island's S 2280 Sub A passed the Senate on June 3, 2026 but did not become law. South Carolina's H. 5201, which would have required district-wide and school-specific multihazard emergency operation plans, was referred to the Senate Education Committee on April 28, 2026 and was still there as of October 27, 2026.
State guides
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How can QuickSecure help?
SOPs keeps your emergency operations plan and procedures in one place, and staff can open them from their phones.
Each procedure keeps its version history, so you can see what changed and when.
You choose which roles can see each procedure, and staff confirm they've read it, so you can see who has.
During an Alert, your procedures become step-by-step checklists for each staff member.
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