Health/Life Safety

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Health/Life Safety

The Illinois Administrative Code and the School Code of Illinois require that the Regional Offices of Education regularly visit schools for Health/Life Safety inspections and to ascertain the degree to which schools comply with State operational requirements. Trained and experienced representatives from the Regional Office of Education’s Compliance Team visit each school every year to carry out Health/Life Safety inspections as required by code.

The Compliance Team also inspects building plans and specifications for school construction and renovation that includes collaboration with local municipalities. The Regional Office of Education is responsible for issuing building and occupancy permits. 

Drill Scheduling Requirements


105 ILCS 128 Section 20.
Number of drills; incidents covered; local authority participation
  1. Three evacuation drills.Schools must conduct a minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare students and school personnel for fire incidents during each academic year.
    1. Fire department or fire district participation.One of the 3 school evacuation drills shall require the participation of the appropriate local fire department or district.
      1. September 1. Each local fire department or fire district must contact the appropriate school administrator or his or her designee no later than September 1 of each year in order to arrange for the participation of the department or district in the school evacuation drill.
      2. September 15. Each school administrator or his or her designee must contact the responding local fire official no later than September 15 of each and propose to the local fire official 4 dates within the month of October, during at least 2 different weeks of October, on which the drill shall occur. The fire official may choose any of the 4 available dates, and if he or she does so, the drill shall occur on that date.
      3. Any other date. The school administrator his or her designee and the local fire official may also, by mutual agreement, set any other date for the drill, including a date outside of the month of October.
      4. Participation waived but strongly encouraged. If the fire official does not select one of the 4 offered dates in October or set another date by mutual agreement, the requirement that the school include the local fire service in one of its mandatory school evacuation drills shall be waived. Schools, however, shall continue to be strongly encouraged to include the fire service in a school evacuation drill at a mutually agreed-upon time.
      5. Certify participation. Upon participation of the local fire service, the appropriate local fire official shall certify that the school evacuation drill was conducted.
      6. Waive B), C) and D). When scheduling the school evacuation drill, the school administrator or his or her designee and the local fire department or fire district may, by mutual agreement before September 14, choose to waive the provisions of subparagraphs B), C) and D) of the paragraph 1).
    2. Additional evacuation drills. Schools may conduct additional school evacuation drills to account for other evacuation incidents, including without limitation suspicious items or bomb threats.
  2. One bus evacuation drill. Schools must conduct a minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill must be accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in all other educational institution in this State that are supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds and that provide instruction in any of the grades k-12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be conducted at each school building that houses school children.
  3. Law enforcement drills. Schools must conduct a law enforcement drill to address incidents, including without limitation reverse evacuation, lock-downs, shootings, bomb threats, or hazardous materials. Such drills must be conducted according to the school districts or private school’s emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, and procedures, with the participation of the appropriated law enforcement agency. Law enforcement drills may be conducted on days and times when students are not present in the school building.
    1. Criteria. A law enforcement drill must meet all of the following criteria:
      1. Local law enforcement participation. During each calendar year, the appropriate local law enforcement agency shall contact the appropriate school administrator to request to participate in a law enforcement drill and may actively participate on-site in a drill.
      2. Certify participation. Upon participation of a local law enforcement agency in a law enforcement drill, the appropriate local law enforcement official shall certify that the law enforcement drill was conducted.
    2. Additional law enforcement drills. Schools may conduct additional law enforcement drills.
  4. One severe weather and shelter-in-place drill. Schools must conduct a minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to address and prepare students and school personnel for possible tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents, including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous material.