It is the policy of the Seattle School Board that the District shall maximize safety for all students and staff so that their focus can be on teaching and learning. The District and its schools shall develop a comprehensive all-hazard emergency management plan that includes prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery strategies. The plan shall be developed in conjunction with emergency responders and be consistent with the National Response Plan (NRP), the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), and the City of Seattle Readiness and Response Plan. The District and schools shall:

• Include required school safety policies and procedures;
• Include provisions for the special needs of staff and students;
• Require the building principal to be certified on the incident command system;
• Consider community use of school facilities in emergencies;
• Be annually reviewed with emergency response agencies;
• Conduct inventory of all hazardous materials;
• Update information on the school mapping information system to reflect current staffing and updated plans including: Identifying all staff members who are trained on the national incident management system and the incident command system;
• Collaborate with community agencies to update emergency first aid procedures, including training, use, funding and placement of public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs);
• Identify school transportation procedures for evacuation;
• Provide information to all staff on the use of emergency supplies and alert procedures;
• Annually record and report information and activities required in RCW 28A.320.125(3) to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC); and
• Over the course of the school year, each school shall conduct no less than one safety-related drill per month, including summer months when school is in session with students. Drills will be planned in a manner that is sensitive to the developmental and special needs of all students in the school community. These drills will teach students the following three basic functional drill responses:
  • Shelter-in-Place: Students will receive instruction so that in the case of community violence or a hazardous vapor release that does not allow time to evacuate the campus, they will be able to remain inside, and take the steps necessary to eliminate or minimize the health and safety hazard.
  • Lockdowns: Students will receive instruction so that in the event of the breach of security of a school building or campus, staff, students and visitors will be able to take positions in secure enclosures.
  • Evacuations: Students will receive instruction so that in the event the school or District needs to be evacuated due to threats such as fires, oil train spills, or tsunamis, they will be able to leave the building in the shortest time possible and take the safest route possible to another school or facility.

These safety-related drills may also incorporate an earthquake drill using the state-approved earthquake safety technique “drop, cover, and hold.”

Schools shall document the date and time of such drills. Each school will maintain the time and type of drill in the school office.

The Seattle Public Schools Emergency Management Plan will be coordinated through the Safety and Security Department and reviewed and updated annually. The Superintendent will establish guidelines and actions to be taken by building principals, departments and District leadership. The plan will include multiple hazards, essential emergency functions and coordination with local, state and federal partners, family re-unification strategies, and continuity of operations plans.

Superintendent Procedure:

Policy Cross References:

• 3143 – Notification and Dissemination of Information About Student Offenses and Notification of Threats of Violence or Harm
• 3225 – School-Based Threat Assessment
• 3412 – Automated External Defibrillators
• 3414 – Infectious Diseases
• 4310 – Relations with Law Enforcement, Child Protective Services, and the County Health Department
• 4311 – School Safety and Security Services Program
• 6670 – Emergency Transportation
• 6883 – School & Instructional Site Closures

Previous Policies:

• F40.00 – Emergency Management Plan
• F41.00 – Earthquake Response Training
• F42.00 – Fire Safety Fire Drills

Legal References:

• RCW 19.27.110 International Fire Code.
• RCW 28A.320.125 Safe school plans—Requirements—Duties of school districts and schools—Drills—Rules—First responder agencies.

Management Resources:

• Comprehensive Safety Planning Toolkit; Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
• WSSDA Policy & Legal News, August 2024, June 2022, February 2021, July 2017, June 2013, August 2008, October 2006, February 1999.

Last Board Review:

Revisions:

• May 19, 2025 (Administrative Update per Policy No. 1310)
• October 4, 2017
• September 4, 2013

Adopted by the Board:

• December 7, 2011