Nevada DOE outlines rule to require model crisis, emergency and suicide response plans

The Nevada Department of Education unveiled proposed amendments to Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) Chapter 388 on Oct. 20, 2025, that would require the department to identify nationally accepted best practices, models or frameworks for a model plan schools would use to respond to crisis, emergency or suicide. The Department said any model identified or developed would be presented to the State Board of Education and posted on the department's website.

Director Lanisha Battle explained the proposal and tied it to existing statutes that require school districts, charter schools and private schools to have plans and require the department to develop a model plan. “Existing law requires a development committee ... to develop a plan ... NRS 388.243,” Battle said, adding the department is to identify best practices pursuant to NRS 388.253. She noted, “If such a nationally accepted best practice model or framework cannot be identified, the department shall consult with relevant stakeholders to develop an appropriate best practice model or framework.”

Why this matters: NAC 388 guides how schools prepare for and respond to events ranging from student suicide to active shooter incidents. A uniform model could produce more consistent planning across districts and school types; speakers and a written commenter urged more detail on how the department will identify and tailor best practices to different emergency types.

Details of the draft rule: The draft would direct the Department to, to the extent possible, identify nationally accepted best practices, models, or frameworks for addressing NRS 388.253. If no such nationally accepted model exists, the Department must consult stakeholders including other state agencies, governing bodies of charter and private schools, educational personnel, local associations of parents and legal guardians, and parents and guardians. A best-practice model or framework identified or developed must be presented to the State Board of Education and posted on the Department’s website.

Public input: Written public comment from Alexandra Andres, a Las Vegas resident and law student, asked how the Department would select sources and experts and how models would be tailored to differing emergencies — for example, distinguishing active shooter responses from suicide crises. Battle said the current draft reflects feedback on a file (LCB file R135-20) that dates to 2020 and that the language presented is responsive to prior comments. No public commenters spoke in person during the workshop on Oct. 20.

Next steps: The Department solicited comment during the workshop; the item will move through the LCB drafting process and return for further review. The draft regulation requires posting any model plan and indicates stakeholder consultation where no national model is identified. The proposal does not itself prescribe specific tactical responses or operational protocols beyond the requirement to identify or develop a model and post it for districts and schools to use.

Ending: The department closed the workshop after receiving the written comment and noting the draft is responsive to prior workshops dating to 2020.