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Kansas Senate Bill SB263

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

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11 Session of 2025
22 SENATE BILL No. 263
33 By Committee on Federal and State Affairs
44 2-11
55 AN ACT concerning schools; relating to crisis drills; establishing
66 standards and requirements for active shooter drills conducted by
77 public and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools;
88 amending K.S.A. 31-133 and repealing the existing section.
99 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
1010 New Section 1. (a) Sections 1 through 5, and amendments thereto,
1111 shall be known and may be cited as the students safe at school act.
1212 (b) As used in the students safe at school act:
1313 (1) "Active shooter drill" means an emergency preparedness drill
1414 designed to inform and instruct students, teachers, school personnel and
1515 other school staff on how to respond in the event that an armed intruder is
1616 on the school campus or an armed assailant is in the immediate vicinity of
1717 the school. "Active shooter drill" includes practice active shooter drills.
1818 "Active shooter drill" does not include any sensory components, activities
1919 or elements that mimic a real-life shooting. "Active shooter drill" is not an
2020 active shooter simulation.
2121 (2) "Active shooter simulation" means an emergency exercise,
2222 including full-scale or functional exercises, designed to inform and instruct
2323 adult teachers, school personnel and other school staff on how to respond
2424 in the event of an armed intruder on the school campus or an armed
2525 assailant in the immediate vicinity of the school. "Active shooter
2626 simulation" includes activities or elements mimicking a real-life shooting,
2727 including, but not limited to, simulation of tactical response by law
2828 enforcement. "Active shooter simulation" does not include active shooter
2929 drills.
3030 (3) "Department" means the state department of education.
3131 (4) "Evidenced-based" means a program or practice that
3232 demonstrates:
3333 (A) A statistically significant effect on relevant outcomes based on:
3434 (i) Strong evidence from not fewer than one well-designed and well-
3535 implemented experimental study;
3636 (ii) moderate evidence from not fewer than one well-designed and
3737 well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or
3838 (iii) promising evidence from not fewer than one well-designed and
3939 well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selective
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7676 bias; or
7777 (B) a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive
7878 evaluations that the program or practice is likely to improve relevant
7979 outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the
8080 program or practice.
8181 (5) "Parent" and "person acting as parent" mean the same as defined
8282 in K.S.A. 72-3127, and amendments thereto.
8383 (6) "School" means any elementary or secondary public school
8484 maintained and operated by a school district and any accredited nonpublic
8585 school that provides any of the grades kindergarten through 12.
8686 (7) "Vendor" includes not-for-profit entities, for-profit entities and
8787 public agencies.
8888 New Sec. 2. (a) (1) Each active shooter drill undertaken at a school
8989 shall meet the following standards:
9090 (A) Accessible;
9191 (B) developmentally appropriate and age appropriate, including
9292 appropriate safety vocabulary and verbiage;
9393 (C) culturally aware;
9494 (D) trauma-informed; and
9595 (E) inclusive of accommodations for students with mobility
9696 restrictions, sensory needs, developmental or physical disabilities, mental
9797 health needs and auditory or visual limitations.
9898 (2) No student shall be required to participate in an active shooter
9999 drill if such drill does not meet the standards set forth in paragraph (1).
100100 (b) An active shooter drill shall not be conducted consecutively or
101101 concurrently with another crisis or emergency preparedness drill.
102102 (c) (1) The school shall notify each parent or person acting as parent
103103 at least 24 hours prior to an active shooter drill. The notice shall provide
104104 that a parent may opt a student out of participation in such drill. Any
105105 student who is opted out shall have the opportunity to participate in
106106 alternative safety education and shall not receive any negative or punitive
107107 treatment for not participating in such drill.
108108 (2) If notice cannot be provided at least 24 hours prior to an active
109109 shooter drill, notice shall be provided within 24 hours of the conclusion of
110110 the active shooter drill.
111111 (3) The department shall establish criteria for alternative safety
112112 education for students who do not participate in active shooter drills. Such
113113 criteria shall include essential safety instruction and training that is
114114 appropriate for students with mobility restrictions, sensory needs,
115115 developmental or physical disabilities, mental health needs and auditory or
116116 visual limitations.
117117 (d) Active shooter drill protocols shall include a reasonable amount of
118118 time immediately following the drill for teachers to debrief with students.
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162162 The debriefing shall be provided to students before regular classroom
163163 activity resumes. Students who participate in an active shooter drill shall
164164 have access to on site mental health services, including, but not limited to,
165165 access to school counselors, psychologists or social workers.
166166 (e) Active shooter drills shall be announced as a practice prior to the
167167 commencement of the practice active shooter drill in a manner that is
168168 concise and age appropriate and informs students that there is no
169169 immediate danger to life and safety.
170170 (f) Once per year, each board of education or governing body of a
171171 nonpublic school shall review the:
172172 (1) Efficacy and effect of active shooter drills and practice active
173173 shooter drills; and
174174 (2) impact of active shooter drills on the safety and mental health of
175175 students, teachers and other school personnel and staff.
176176 (g) The department shall publish on its website a list of vendors who
177177 teach school personnel and staff, including school safety officers, on how
178178 to conduct active shooter drills. Such list shall include the name and
179179 website of the vendor. The department shall update such list at least once
180180 every two years.
181181 (h) The department shall partner with the department of health and
182182 environment to create guidelines for measuring the effectiveness of active
183183 shooter drills. Such guidelines shall be provided to every school that
184184 conducts an active shooter drill and made available to the public for
185185 review.
186186 New Sec. 3. (a) No student shall be required to participate in an
187187 active shooter simulation. No active shooter simulation shall occur during
188188 regular school hours while students are present or expected to be present at
189189 the school.
190190 (b) Parents of students in grades nine through 12 may opt their
191191 student into participation in active shooter simulations by providing
192192 written notice to the school on a form and in a manner determined by the
193193 school. Any such notice shall, at a minimum, clearly state that the student
194194 has parental permission to participate in active shooter simulations.
195195 New Sec. 4. (a) Every school shall provide students in grades six
196196 through 12 at least one hour or one standard class period of evidence-
197197 based violence prevention training annually. Such training shall teach
198198 students:
199199 (1) How to identify observable warning signs and signals of an
200200 individual who may be at risk of harming themselves or others;
201201 (2) the importance of taking threats seriously and seeking help; and
202202 (3) the steps students can take to report dangerous, violent,
203203 threatening, harmful or potentially harmful activity.
204204 (b) On or before October 1, 2026, the department shall develop and
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248248 publish on its website a list of evidence-based training options schools
249249 may use to fulfill the requirements of this section. Such list shall include
250250 any available no-cost programming. The department shall update such list
251251 at least once every two years.
252252 (c) Schools may use any evidence-based violence prevention training
253253 regardless of whether such training is not on the list developed pursuant to
254254 subsection (b) if such training otherwise meets the requirements of this
255255 section.
256256 New Sec. 5. Each board of education and governing body of a
257257 nonpublic school shall ensure that students have the opportunity to
258258 contribute to such students' school's safety and violence-prevention
259259 planning. Such opportunities shall incorporate the recommendations of the
260260 federal emergency management agency's multi-hazard planning for
261261 schools, including providing:
262262 (a) Student opportunities for prevention safety leadership roles;
263263 (b) encouragement and support to students in establishing clubs and
264264 programs focused on safety; and
265265 (c) the opportunity for students to learn about and seek help from
266266 adults regarding prevention for bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault
267267 and suicide.
268268 Sec. 6. K.S.A. 31-133 is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-133.
269269 (a) The state fire marshal shall adopt reasonable rules and regulations,
270270 consistent with the provisions of this act, for the safeguarding of life and
271271 property from fire, explosion and hazardous materials. Such rules and
272272 regulations shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
273273 (1) The keeping, storage, use, sale, handling, transportation or other
274274 disposition of highly flammable materials, including crude petroleum or
275275 any of its products, natural gas for use in motor vehicles, and of
276276 explosives, including gunpowder, dynamite, fireworks and firecrackers.
277277 Any such rules and regulations may prescribe the materials and
278278 construction of receptacles and buildings to be used for any of such
279279 purposes;
280280 (2) the transportation of liquid fuel over public highways in order to
281281 provide for the public safety in connection therewith;
282282 (3) the construction, maintenance and regulation of exits and fire
283283 escapes from buildings and all other places in which people work, live or
284284 congregate from time to time for any purpose, including apartment houses,
285285 as defined by K.S.A. 31-132a, and amendments thereto. Such rules and
286286 regulations shall not apply to buildings used wholly as dwelling houses
287287 containing no more than two families;
288288 (4) the installation and maintenance of equipment intended for fire
289289 control, detection and extinguishment in all buildings and other places in
290290 which persons work, live or congregate from time to time for any purpose,
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334334 including apartment houses as defined by K.S.A. 31-132a, and
335335 amendments thereto. Such rules and regulations shall not apply to
336336 buildings used wholly as dwelling houses containing no more than two
337337 families;
338338 (5) requiring administrators of public and private schools and
339339 educational institutions, except community colleges, colleges and
340340 universities, to conduct at least four fire drills each school year at some
341341 time during school hours, aside from the regular dismissal at the close of
342342 the day's session, and prescribing the manner in which such fire drills are
343343 to be conducted;
344344 (6) procedures for the reporting of fires and explosions occurring
345345 within the state and for the investigation thereof;
346346 (7) procedures for reporting by healthcare providers of treatment of
347347 second and third degree burn wounds involving 20% or more of the
348348 victim's body and requiring hospitalization of the victim, which. Such
349349 reporting is hereby authorized notwithstanding any provision of K.S.A.
350350 60-427, and amendments thereto, to the contrary;
351351 (8) requiring administrators of public and private schools and
352352 educational institutions, except community colleges, colleges and
353353 universities, to establish tornado procedures. Such procedures shall:
354354 (A) Provide for at least two tornado drills to be conducted each
355355 school year, of which one shall be conducted in September and one shall
356356 be conducted in March, at some time during school hours, aside from the
357357 regular dismissal at the close of the day's session;
358358 (B) describe the manner in which such tornado drills are to be
359359 conducted; and
360360 (C) shall be subject to approval by the state fire marshal;
361361 (9) requiring administrators of community colleges, colleges and
362362 universities to establish tornado procedures, which. Such procedures shall
363363 be subject to approval by the director of the disaster agency of the county;
364364 (10) the development and implementation of a statewide system of
365365 hazardous materials assessment and response;
366366 (11) the use of pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices and pyrotechnic
367367 materials;
368368 (12) requiring administrators of public and private schools and
369369 educational institutions, except community colleges, colleges and
370370 universities, to conduct at least three crisis drills each school year at some
371371 time during school hours, aside from the regular dismissal at the close of
372372 the day's session. The manner in which such crisis drills are conducted
373373 may be subject to approval by the safe and secure schools unit of the
374374 Kansas department of education; and
375375 (13) other safeguards, protective measures or means adapted to
376376 render inherently safe from the hazards of fire or the loss of life by fire any
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420420 building or other place in which people work, live or congregate from time
421421 to time for any purpose, except buildings used wholly as dwelling houses
422422 containing no more than two families.
423423 (b) Any rules and regulations of the state fire marshal adopted
424424 pursuant to this section may incorporate by reference specific editions, or
425425 portions thereof, of nationally recognized fire prevention codes.
426426 (c) The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall
427427 allow facilities in service prior to the effective date of such rules and
428428 regulations, and not in strict conformity therewith, to continue in service,
429429 so long as such facilities are not determined by the state fire marshal to
430430 constitute a distinct hazard to life or property. Any such determination
431431 shall be subject to the appeal provisions contained in K.S.A. 31-140, and
432432 amendments thereto.
433433 (d) The state fire marshal may grant an exemption pursuant to K.S.A.
434434 31-136, and amendments thereto, that authorizes a variance for the number
435435 or manner of drills conducted pursuant to subsection (a)(5), (8) or (12) for
436436 students receiving special education or related services.
437437 (e) (1) As used in this section, "crisis drills" includes intruder
438438 response drills, lockdown drills and active shooter drills, as defined in
439439 section 1, and amendments thereto.
440440 (2) Any public or private school that conducts an active shooter drill
441441 shall conduct such drill in accordance with section 1 et seq., and
442442 amendments thereto.
443443 Sec. 7. K.S.A. 31-133 is hereby repealed.
444444 Sec. 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
445445 publication in the statute book.
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