Chapter 439
2013 -- S 0014 SUBSTITUTE A AS
AMENDED
Enacted 07/15/13
A N A C T
RELATING TO
EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY
Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Gallo, Metts, Ottiano, and E O`Neill
Date Introduced: January 16, 2013
It is enacted by the General
Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 16-21-4 of the General Laws in Chapter
16-21 entitled "Health and
Safety of Pupils" is
hereby amended to read as follows:
16-21-4. Fire,
evacuation and lockdown drills required -- Failure to comply. -- (a) It
shall be the duty of the principal or other person in
charge of every public school or private
school, college, university, or postsecondary institutions
or educational institution within the
state, having more than twenty-five (25) pupils, to
instruct and train the pupils by means of drills,
so that they may in a sudden emergency be able to leave
school buildings and dormitories in the
shortest possible time and without confusion or panic.
Notwithstanding other
provisions of this section, in In all
schools or buildings used for
educational purposes through the twelfth grade by six (6) or more
persons for four (4) or more
hours per day or more than twelve (12) hours per week but colleges, universities, or
postsecondary institutions, there shall be not less than one emergency egress drill conducted
every month the facility is in session with all occupants
of the building participating in said drill.
One additional emergency egress drill shall be
conducted in buildings that are not open on a year-
round basis within the first (1st) thirty (30) days of
operation fifteen (15) drills or
rapid dismissals
during the school year, at least eight (8) of which shall be
held during the months of September,
October, and November. The remaining seven (7) drills or rapid
dismissals shall be held at the
discretion of the principal or person in charge of the school. At least one out of every four (4)
emergency egress
drills or rapid dismissals shall be obstructed by means of which at least one
or
more exits and stairways in the school building are
blocked off or not used and at least two (2) of
the obstructed drills shall be held during the months of
September and October. In
addition,
thereThere shall be two (2) evacuation drills and two (2) lockdown drills included
among the
fifteen (15) mandatory drills in each school year. Evacuation drills shall be designed and
conducted for use when conditions outside the school building
are safer than conditions inside the
building. Lockdown drills shall be designed and conducted for
use to protect school building
occupants from potential dangers in the building, and one
shall be held in September and one in
January, and in conjunction with
the local police whenever possible.
(b)(1) In colleges,
universities, postsecondary institutions, and residence facilities in
public schools or private schools there shall be at least
four (4) drills or rapid dismissals during
the academic year for each school building or residence
facility, at least two (2) of which shall be
held between the months of September through December. The
remaining two (2) drills shall be
held between the months of January through June. Any
college, university, or postsecondary
institution that holds a summer session shall hold a drill or
rapid dismissal during the first full
week of the summer session.
(2) At least one drill
or rapid dismissal shall be obstructed so that at least one or more
exits or stairways in the school building or dormitory are
blocked off or not used.
(c) For purposes of this
section "residence facility" means dormitory, fraternity, sorority,
or any other type of residence hall, whether on campus
or off campus, owned or leased by a
college, university, postsecondary institutions, public
schools, or private school with
accommodations for twenty (20) or more students.
(d) Notwithstanding
other provisions of this section, fire drills shall be required in
colleges or universities only for buildings which are used for
a residence facility.
(e) Neglect by any
principal or any person in charge of any public or private school or
educational institution to comply with the provisions of this
section shall be a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500).
(f) Written reports,
on forms supplied by the department of elementary and secondary
education, of each fire drill shall be completed immediately
upon termination of every drill and
shall be available for review by the fire marshal,
assistant deputy fire marshal, or local fire
authority. The fire marshal, assistant deputy fire marshal, or
local fire authority may require that a
fire drill be conducted in his or her presence.
SECTION 2. Sections 23-28.12-15 and 23-28.12-36 of the
General Laws in Chapter 23-
28.12 entitled
"Schools" are hereby amended to read as follows:
23-28.12-15.
Fire alarm systems. -- (a) It
shall be the duty of the principal or other
person in charge of every public school or private school or
educational institution within the
state, having more than twenty-five (25) pupils, to
instruct and train the pupils by means of drills,
so that they may in a sudden emergency be able to leave the
school building in the shortest
possible time and without confusion or panic. There shall be
fifteen (15) such drills or rapid
dismissals during the school year, at least eight (8) of which
shall be held during the months of
September, October, and November. The remaining seven (7) drills or rapid dismissals
shall be
held at the discretion of the principal or person in
charge of the school. At least four (4) drills or
rapid dismissals shall be obstructed, which means that one
or more exits and stairways in the
school building are blocked off or not used, and at least
two (2) of these obstructed drills shall be
held during the months of September and October. It shall be the duty of the principal or other
person in charge of every public school or private school,
college, university, or postsecondary
institution or educational institution within the state, having
more than twenty-five (25) pupils, to
instruct and train the pupils by means of drills, so that they
may, in a sudden emergency, be able
to leave school buildings and dormitories in the
shortest possible time and without confusion or
panic. Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, in
all schools or buildings used for
educational purposes through the twelfth (12th) grade by six (6)
or more persons for four (4) or
more hours per day or more than twelve (12) hours per
week, there shall be not less than one
emergency egress drill conducted every month the facility is in
session with all occupants of the
building participating in said drill. One additional emergency
egress drill shall be conducted in
buildings that are not open on a year-round basis within the
first (1st) thirty (30) days of operation.
At least one out of every four (4) emergency egress
drills or rapid dismissals shall be obstructed
by means of which at least one or more exits and
stairways in the school building are blocked off
or not used. In addition, there shall be two (2)
evacuation drills and two (2) lockdown drills.
Evacuation drills shall be designed and conducted for
use when conditions outside the school
building are safer than conditions inside the building.
Lockdown drills shall be designed and
conducted for use to protect school building occupants from
potential dangers in the building, and
one shall be held in September and one in January, and in
conjunction with the local police
whenever possible.
(b)(1) In colleges,
universities, postsecondary institutions, and residence facilities in
public schools or private schools there shall be at least
four (4) drills or rapid dismissals during
the academic year for each school building or residence
facility, at least two (2) of which shall be
held between the months of September through December. The
remaining two (2) drills shall be
held between the months of January through June. Any
college, university, or postsecondary
institution that holds a summer session shall hold a drill or
rapid dismissal during the first (1st)
full week of the summer session.
(2) At least one drill
or rapid dismissal shall be obstructed so that at least one or more
exits or stairways in the school building or dormitory are
blocked off or not used.
(c) For purposes of
this section, "residence facility" means a dormitory, fraternity,
sorority, or any other type of residence hall, whether on
campus or off campus, owned or leased
by a college, university, postsecondary institution,
public school, or private school with
accommodations for twenty (20) or more students.
(d) Notwithstanding
other provisions of this section, fire drills shall be required in
colleges or universities only for buildings which are used as
a residence facility.
(b)(e)
Neglect by any principal or any person in charge of any public or private
school or
educational institution to comply with the provisions of this
section shall be a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00).
(f) Written
reports, on forms supplied by the department of elementary and secondary
education, of each fire drill shall be completed immediately
upon termination of every drill and
shall be available for review by the fire marshal,
assistant deputy fire marshal, or local fire
authority. The fire marshal, assistant deputy fire marshal, or
local fire authority may require that a
fire drill be conducted in his or her presence.
23-28.12-36.
Fire alarm systems -- Fire drills -- Penalties. --
(a) It shall be the duty of
the principal or other person in charge of every public school
or private school or educational
institution within the state, having more than twenty-five (25)
pupils, to instruct and train the
pupils by means of drills, so that they may in a sudden
emergency be able to leave the school
building in the shortest possible time and without confusion
or panic. There shall be fifteen (15)
such drills or rapid dismissals during the school year, at
least eight (8) of which shall be held
during the months of September, October, and November. The
remaining seven (7) such drills or
rapid dismissals shall be held at the discretion of the
principal or person in charge of the school.
At least four (4) drills or rapid dismissals shall be
obstructed, which means that one or more exits
and stairways in the school building are blocked off or
not used and at least two (2) of these
obstructed drills shall be held during the months of September
and October. It shall be the duty
of
the principal or other person in charge of every public
school or private school, college,
university, or postsecondary institutions or educational
institution within the state, having more
than twenty-five (25) pupils, to instruct and train the
pupils by means of drills, so that they may in
a sudden emergency be able to leave school buildings and
dormitories in the shortest possible
time and without confusion or panic. Notwithstanding other
provisions of this section, in all
schools or buildings used for educational purposes through
the twelfth (12th) grade by six (6) or
more persons for four (4) or more hours per day or more
than twelve (12) hours per week, there
shall be not less than one emergency egress drill conducted
every month the facility is in session
with all occupants of the building participating in said
drill. One additional emergency egress drill
shall be conducted in buildings that are not open on a
year-round basis within the first (1st) thirty
(30) days of operation. At
least one out of every four (4) emergency egress drills or rapid
dismissals shall be obstructed by means of which at least one or
more exits and stairways in the
school building are blocked off or not used. In addition,
there shall be two (2) evacuation drills
and two (2) lockdown drills. Evacuation drills shall be
designed and conducted for use when
conditions outside the school building are safer than conditions
inside the building. Lockdown
drills shall be designed and conducted for use to protect
school building occupants from potential
dangers in the building, and one shall be held in September
and one in January, and in
conjunction with the local police whenever possible.
(b)(1) In colleges,
universities, postsecondary institutions, and residence facilities in
public schools or private schools there shall be at least
four (4) drills or rapid dismissals during
the academic year for each school building or residence
facility, at least two (2) of which shall be
held between the months of September through December. The
remaining two (2) drills shall be
held between the months of January through June. Any
college, university, or postsecondary
institution that holds a summer session shall hold a drill or
rapid dismissal during the first (1st)
full week of the summer session.
(2) At least one
drill or rapid dismissal shall be obstructed so that at least one or more
exits or stairways in the school building or dormitory are
blocked off or not used.
(c) For purposes of
this section, "residence facility" means a dormitory, fraternity,
sorority, or any other type of residence hall, whether on
campus or off campus, owned or leased
by a college, university, postsecondary institution,
public school, or private school with
accommodations for twenty (20) or more students.
(d) Notwithstanding
other provisions of this section, fire drills shall be required in
colleges or universities only for buildings which are used as
a residence facility.
(b)(e)
Neglect by any principal or any person in charge of any public or private
school or
education institution to comply with the provisions of this
section shall be a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine of not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00).
(c)(f)
Written reports, on forms supplied by the department of elementary and
secondary
education, of each fire drill shall be completed immediately
upon termination of every drill and
shall be available for review by the fire marshal,
assistant deputy fire marshal, or local fire
authority. The fire marshal, assistant deputy fire marshal, or
local fire authority may require that a
fire drill be conducted in his or her presence.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
=======
LC00204/SUB A
=======