New Albany-Plain Local Schools - Safety Drills
State law requires Ohio school districts to conduct 12 safety drills each year. They must be conducted in conjunction with and reported to law enforcement authorities and the fire marshal.
The 12 required drills include:
• Six fire drills. These drills rehearse the most effective way to evacuate students in response to an emergency. One fire drill must be conducted in the first 10 days of the school year.
• Three school safety drills. These drills cover an emergency caused by an act of violence. One of these drills must be a lockdown/barricade, where students are secured in the school rather than evacuated.
• Tornado drills shall be conducted at least once a month whenever school is in session during the tornado season. The “tornado season” in accordance with the Ohio Fire Code is the period from the first (1st) day of April to the last day of July.
• One theoretical school safety drill (table-top exercise) with law enforcement. The purpose of this planning exercise is to provide faculty and staff with instruction regarding procedures to be followed in response to a threat of violence. This drill does not require student participation.
• At least one drill/rapid dismissal or school safety drill must be conducted every month of the school year. Additionally, the first drill or rapid dismissal must be within 10 days of the start of classes.
• Principals are required to keep documentation of the date and time of each drill conducted. The
New Albany-Plain Local School District utilizes the cloud-based NaviGate Prepared school safety system to log and track emergency drills.
