Mass. lawmaker files bill to require unannounced critical-incident drills in schools

Representative Thomas P. Walsh of Peabody filed a bill Jan. 15 that would require every Massachusetts school district superintendent to develop school-specific critical incident plans and to conduct unannounced drills, including at least two annual visits by the police chief or a designee. The petition is filed as House No. 749, Docket No. 1769.

The measure would require superintendents, before the start of each school year, to meet with the local fire chief and police chief to create a plan for each school that covers incidents in which serious bodily injury might occur, shootings, terrorist activities and bomb threats. The draft language says plans must ‘‘incorporate best practices established by the federal Department of Homeland Security’’ and establish a critical-incident drill program, a crisis response team with designated leaders and substitutes, a communication plan, procedures for safe entry and exit for students, parents and employees, and policies to enforce discipline and maintain order during an incident.

Why it matters: The proposal, as filed, would change district responsibilities for emergency planning and require regular, unannounced practice of response procedures at school buildings. That could affect students, parents and school staff across districts if the bill becomes law and is implemented at the local level.

The bill specifies that the police chief or a designee must visit each school at least two times each year for the purpose of conducting critical-incident drills. Those drills are to be conducted without advance warning to school personnel other than the person in charge of the school at the time, according to the filed text. Each district, with assistance from local police and fire departments, must annually review and update the plan "as appropriate." Students are to be instructed about the developed plan at the beginning of each school year.

The filing notes similar matter in the prior legislative session (House No. 610 of 2023–2024). The text does not specify funding for implementation, enforcement mechanisms, or penalties for noncompliance; it also does not state how the drills would be coordinated with school schedules or whether state education authorities would provide oversight.

The proposal remains a filed petition and would require committee review and legislative votes before taking effect. As filed, it sets procedural requirements for local officials and first responders but does not itself appropriate funds or create a statewide enforcement mechanism.