On or before July 1, school and district administrators must check and certify that their district emergency plans are current. As a reminder, district emergency management plans must include the following four parts:

  • Safety Plan – a comprehensive all-hazards plan that considers the potential threats and hazards to a school. The plan must address ways administrators will address those threats and a protocol for responding.
  • Floor Plans – floor plans for each floor of each building that identify key infrastructure elements of the building
  • School Site Plan – a view of each facility and all surrounding areas, including school buildings and nearby roadways
  • Emergency Contact Sheet and Signature Page – contact information so first responders can reach key district personnel during an emergency. The Signature Page identifies and confirms stakeholder involvement.

Plans are stored online in the Security Application for Enterprise (SAFE) web portal. The Ohio Department of Education, through its Center for P-20 Safety and Security, has developed a resource that provides detailed directions on how to update emergency documents in SAFE and annually certify the plans. 

As an aside, the State Board of Education recently approved several amendments to the administrative rule that governs district emergency management plans. The amendments, which were developed with input from school districts and other stakeholders, are currently being reviewed by the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) office.  Assuming the CSI office determines that the rule satisfactorily meets its standards, ODE will proceed with the formal filing of the rule with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.

OSBA will continue to provide updates on the amendments as they work their way through the approval process. At this point in time, however, the amended rule is not effective and should not affect the districts’ responsibility to review and certify their plans by July 1.

If you have any questions, please contact the OSBA division of legal services at (855) 672-2529.

Posted by Sara C. Clark on 6/2/2017

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