New York school emergency plan law

Does New York require schools to have an emergency plan?

New York Education Law § 2801-a, detailed in the Commissioner's regulation 8 NYCRR § 155.17, requires school boards, BOCES, county vocational education and extension boards and the New York City chancellor to adopt and amend a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and building-level emergency response plans. A district-wide school safety team and a building-level emergency response team develop the plans. The board of education (or the chancellor in New York City) appoints the district-wide team, and the building principal appoints each building-level team. The regulation defines the district-wide plan as a comprehensive, multi-hazard plan covering all school buildings. The regulation requires the plans to be adopted by September 1 of each school year.

Does it cover charter and private schools?

Charter schools must meet the same health and safety requirements as other public schools, and the State Education Department reads the plan law and regulation as applying to charter schools for that reason. According to the State Education Department, nonpublic (private) schools are exempt from the district-wide and building-level plan requirements but must follow the AED rules. Public school superintendents and nonpublic school chief administrators must give all students and staff written information on emergency procedures by October 1 each school year.

What must the district-wide plan contain?

The district-wide safety team must develop and carry out a cardiac emergency response plan. District-wide safety teams must consider installing a panic alarm system as part of their plan reviews. Outside New York City, the district-wide plan must describe how the district gets help from emergency services and local government agencies, how district resources and staff are coordinated in emergencies, and who is authorized to make decisions.

What must each building-level plan contain?

Building maps must be clearly labeled and easy for first responders to understand. Floor plans must show utility shutoffs, fire alarm panels, sprinkler control valves, fire department key boxes where applicable, and emergency and security equipment. State Education Department guidance says 2025–26 plans must cover before-, during- and after-school activities, indoors and outdoors, and that response annexes should not use codes, colors or cards.

How often must the plans be reviewed?

Both plans must be reviewed at least once a year and updated as needed. The building-level plan must include procedures for a yearly review of the plan and for drills and tabletop exercises run with law enforcement and emergency responders. The district-wide plan must be open for public comment for at least 30 days before it is adopted, and may be adopted only after at least one public hearing. The State Education Department says an amended district-wide plan must again go out for 30 days of public comment and be approved by the board.

Where are the plans filed?

The State Education Department directs districts to post the district-wide plan on their website and submit the link by October 1 each year. According to the Department, schools meet the State Police filing duty by uploading the building-level plan to the SED Monitoring application. When a building-level plan is activated and a school building closes, the superintendent must notify the Commissioner as soon as possible.

Does the plan involve police and fire?

Each building-level plan must designate an emergency response team made up of school staff, law enforcement officials, fire officials and emergency response agency representatives. Building-level teams also include parents and community members alongside law enforcement, fire officials or other emergency response agencies.

What training is required?

The district must certify to the Commissioner that all staff completed yearly training on the emergency response plan, including violence prevention, mental health and sudden cardiac arrest. That certification is due by September 15 each year, and the training must cover the plan's procedures for the five required emergency response terms. Staff hired after the school year starts must be trained within 30 days of hire or through the new-hire program, whichever comes first. The State Education Department says districts had to certify by January 20, 2026 that all staff were trained on the plan, including sudden cardiac arrest, after which that training joins the yearly September 15 cycle. The Department says drills for the cardiac emergency response plan are not required.

Are the plans confidential?

The building-level plan, including its maps and floor plans, must be kept confidential and shared only with authorized Department or school staff and law enforcement officers. Building-level plans are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law and any other law.

What happens if a district doesn't comply?

If a district fails to file a plan as required, the Commissioner may withhold public money until it complies. If a district fails to adopt or carry out plans that meet the law, the Commissioner may withhold current-year state aid on 30 days' notice. The Commissioner must report every year to the Governor and Legislature on how the law is being carried out and followed.

What has changed recently, and what bills are pending?

The Regents adopted a set of § 155.17 amendments in September 2024 requiring uniform emergency response terms (shelter, hold, evacuate, secure lockout, lockdown) and training on them; they took effect July 1, 2025. Desha's law (A785A, which replaced S5539A) was signed as Chapter 189 of the Laws of 2025 on July 24, 2025. According to the State Education Department, its requirement that building-level plans include sudden cardiac arrest procedures took effect September 1, 2025. Separately from the safety plans, a 2024 law requires districts and BOCES to have a policy protecting students and staff on extreme heat days, when occupiable spaces reach 82°F or more.