Maryland school emergency plan law

What does Maryland require of school emergency plans?

Educ. § 7-1510(d) requires each local school system to update the school emergency plan for each public school on or before August 1, 2020, and regularly after that; a 2026 law re-enacted that subsection without change. A state board rule (COMAR 13A.02.02) requires each local school system and the SEED School to develop an emergency plan for all public school grounds, including maintenance, transportation and the central administration office. By statute, a school emergency plan is a plan for each local school system and each public school, covering mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Who must have a plan?

The rule defines "local school system" as any of Maryland's 24 local public school systems. Each school building must have its own plan, aligned with the MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education) Emergency Planning Guidelines (December 2019), with a copy on file at the central administration office. A central administration emergency plan aligned with the Guidelines must be on file at each school. Maryland law defines a public charter school as a public school, and a charter school cannot get a waiver from laws or regulations on the health or safety of its students or employees. The statutory definition of a school emergency plan covers only local school systems and their public schools; it does not reach private schools.

What must the plan contain?

The statute does not itself name lockdown, evacuation, reunification, floor plans or other specific procedures as plan contents.

Under the rule, a school emergency plan covers mitigation, prevention, preparation, response and recovery for each school's grounds. The MSDE Guidelines are incorporated by reference into the rule. They include a parent and guardian reunification plan component and use the Incident Command System as the framework for emergency roles. By July 1, 2018, each local school system had to update its plan to comply with MSDE's update of its guidelines and regulations under that law. If a student with an IEP needs specific evacuation accommodations, the IEP must include emergency accommodations; for a student with a 504 plan, the 504 team must discuss and address the student's needs as necessary.

How often is the plan reviewed?

The statute requires plans to be updated "regularly" after August 1, 2020. MSDE's Guidelines say the plan must be reviewed and updated at least once a year; this is agency guidance. Each local school system must, working with the Maryland Center for School Safety, update each plan to correct weaknesses found in the yearly report.

Is the plan submitted, and to whom?

Each local school system must submit its updated plans to the Maryland Center for School Safety for review and comment. By August 1 each year, each local school system must send the Center a report on the school year just ended. The report must include incidents where a school's plan failed, in part or in whole, to work as expected in an emergency or drill, and school hours spent in an emergency or drill. By September 30 each year, each local superintendent, and the Head of the SEED School, must certify to the State Superintendent that the plan requirements are being carried out. By the same date, each superintendent must send the State Superintendent the central administration plan if it was updated from the year before.

How do schools work with police, fire and emergency management?

The plan is developed in consultation with other health and safety officials in the local community. Each local school system must work with local law enforcement to set policies for responding to an emergency at each public school. Each local school system must promptly tell the Center about any critical, life-threatening incident on school grounds. After such an incident, the school system must invite the Center, local law enforcement and emergency responders to its after-action review. The School Mapping Data Program funds local school systems to produce first responder mapping data for each public school, including charter schools. The program is optional: a local school system, with its local law enforcement agency, may apply, and mapping data made with program money must be checked by a walk-through of the buildings and grounds.

What training goes with the plan?

MSDE guidance says school systems and staff should be trained on the plan before it is tested.

Is the plan confidential?

Under the Public Information Act, a records custodian must deny inspection of any record that discloses a school safety evaluation or school emergency plan developed under Educ. § 7-1510, except as the law allows. Custodians must let certain listed bodies inspect those records in the performance of their official duties. Custodians must also deny inspection of school mapping data produced under the School Mapping Data Program. From July 1, 2026, the yearly report to the Center is not a public record and is exempt from the Public Information Act; a member of the General Assembly may see it on request. MSDE guidance says plan details should stay confidential and evacuation routes and floor plans should not be published.

How is it checked?

The rule's compliance step is the yearly September 30 certification to the State Superintendent, plus a copy of an updated central administration plan. The Secure Schools Emergency Response Grant Program funds local school systems to improve emergency notification and communication with 911 centers and public safety agencies, and the Center had to have it running by September 1, 2026.

What changed recently?

HB 311 and its cross-file SB 507 (2026) were approved by the Governor as Chapters 666 and 665; Chapter 666 was approved May 26, 2026, and took effect July 1, 2026. Chapter 666 re-enacted subsections (b), (d) and (e) of § 7-1510 without change; Chapter 665 carries the same text. Each school's safety evaluation must now cover building security issues and the associated accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities. The yearly report must now list times a school facility became inaccessible to a student with a disability in a way that could hinder evacuation or an emergency response. A separate 2026 law, HB 326 (Chapter 648, approved May 26, 2026, effective July 1, 2026), amended the records law but kept the rule that custodians must deny inspection of school emergency plans. HB 1000 (2026), which would have added bodies of water within 1 mile to school mapping data, was not enacted; its last action was a Senate hearing set for April 7, 2026. HB 1328 (2026), which would have moved the School Mapping Data Program to the State Police, was withdrawn by its sponsor, as was its Senate cross-file SB 895. HB 694 (2025), which as introduced would have had each local school system send a copy of its plan to the State Department of Education, was not enacted; its last action was first reading in the Senate.