Arizona Revised Statute 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school to develop an emergency operations plan that meets the minimum requirements prescribed by the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. The emergency operations plans developed under A.R.S. 15-341 (A) (31) must identify how schools and emergency responders will communicate with and assist students with disabilities.
Arizona Revised Statute 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school to develop an emergency operations plan that meets the minimum requirements prescribed by the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. The emergency operations plans developed under A.R.S. 15-341 (A) (31) must identify how schools and emergency responders will communicate with and assist students with disabilities.
2024 ADE Emergency Operations Plan Development Guidance
Completing District and School Threat/Hazard Analysis
A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessments, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education, Key Principles for Safe Schools, Washington D.C., 2008
The Heat Safety - School Toolkit webpage offers resources to educate school community stakeholders (students, staff, parents) on heat-related illness and prevention.
The K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT) was developed to help school safety planners assess the current state of security measures and associated supports within a school community. This information can then be used to identify strategies for improving safety and security within the school environment.
CISA's Tabletop Exercise Packages help planners have coordinated discussions about the variety of safety issues that could arise and how to navigate them.
Safety planners can use the SITE ASSESS tool to document site assessments that are conducted to promote the overall safety of the school community. The REMS TA Center EOP Interactive Tools webpage includes additional tools school safety planners can use to support their emergency preparedness efforts.
Especially Safe programming engages safety planners in best practice whole school community emergency planning and training that accounts for student developmental needs, including considerations for students with disabilities and access and functional needs.
Straight-A-Safety Toolkits provide school safety planners with resources to improve school safety and overall school community preparedness.
ADE Archived Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) Training
2021 COOP Training Video: Click here to refresh your knowledge of how to build a continuity-of-operations plan.
The Arizona Department of Education's School Preparedness team is committed to answering questions about all-hazards emergency operations planning for K-12 schools. School safety planners can request EOP technical support by completing the School Emergency Operations Plan Support Request Form.
Students with disabilities and special needs should always be considered in school and district emergency planning conversations. Highly-effective emergency operations plans take into account the entire school community, from students and staff members to visitors and volunteers, so that schools and districts can plan the appropriate actions that ensure the safety of all. Additional resources to support whole school community emergency planning can be found here.
The REMS Technical Assistance (TA) Center, through a contract with the U.S. Department of Education, offers a downloadable training course, Integrating the Needs of Students and Staff with Disabilities and Other Access and Functional Needs. You can download this course on the REMS TA Center Specialized Training Package webpage.
Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school site to have an emergency response plan that meets the minimum state requirements. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) are responsible for developing the minimum standards for school emergency response plans in Arizona.
In 2023, Senate Bill 1315 was enacted to enhance emergency response plans by requiring that all emergency response plans developed pursuant to ARS 15-341 (A) (31) must address how the school and emergency responders will communicate with and provide assistance to students with disabilities.
The Arizona Regional Consortia for School Emergency Preparedness (ARCSEP) offers six regional school safety consortium meetings in the state: Phoenix (Central), Gilbert (East Valley), Litchfield Park (West Valley), Tucson (Southern), Flagstaff (Northern), and Yuma (Western). The regional consortiums are sponsored by The Trust and meet quarterly to provide presentations on emergency preparedness topics of interest and lessons learned.
What law mandates that all Arizona schools have emergency response plans in place that meet ADE Minimum Requirements?
Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school site to have an emergency response plan that meets the minimum state requirements.
Are there opportunities to network with school districts around the state to collaborate on the development of emergency response plans and identify best practices?
Yes. The Arizona Regional Consortia for School Emergency Preparedness (ARCSEP) occurs quarterly in six regional locations and provides school safety personnel and other professional organizations to provide presentations on emergency preparedness topics of interest and lessons learned.
Are districts/schools required to use the ADE Emergency Response Template when developing their district/school plan?
No. The ADE ERP Template is provided as a service to school districts by providing a framework and outline as to what should be included in their ERP. The template incorporates many components required to be NIMS compliant.
Keep in mind that the template should not be used “as is” by simply filling in the blanks. A district/school planning team comprised of district and community partner representation should carefully “vet” template components they intend to incorporate in their plan. Specifically, action steps are included in the functional and threat/hazard annexes.
Who should be included in a district/school emergency response plan planning team?
It would be wise to keep your planning team to no more than 10-12 people. Small districts/schools may have a planning team of 5-7. Departments such as facilities, transportation, food services, communications office, community education, and special education are among the departments that would provide good insight into many components of the plan. A representative from each of the school levels in your district (elementary school, middle school, & high school) would also be good to include. Last but not least, community partners can include law enforcement, fire, public health, and local emergency management would be excellent contributors to a planning team.
Keep in mind that there is not one specific composition of team members for districts to put in place. It is a district decision based on the knowledge of the expertise different people can bring to the table.
I am involved in my school's emergency planning and do not know where to start. Does the ADE offer assistance?
Does the 2024 Basic Plan Template align with the 2024 update of the Minimum Requirements?
Yes, completing the template in full will meet the Minimum Requirements.
Will ADE release functional and hazard-specific annexes to align with the updates of the 2024 Basic Plan Template?
Yes, there is an anticipated release date of May 30, 2025.
What are the AZ Minimum Requirements for School EOPs?
The AZ Minimum Requirements for School EOPs are co-developed by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). They provide minimum standards for what must be included in a school’s EOP. ADE and DEMA are given this responsibility through ARS 15-341 (A)(31).
Who must comply with the Minimum Requirements?
All public education agencies (school districts and charter schools) in Arizona.
When should my plan be updated to comply with the 2024 version of the Minimum Requirements?
No later than the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
What updates are included in the 2024 version of the Minimum Requirements?
Removal of “guidance”.
Section I: ICS
Training requirement for other ICS roles.
Refresher training requirement.
Section II: EOP
Addition of hazard assessment
Addition of Functional Annexes, Hazard-Specific Annexes
Section III: Plan Maintenance and Training
Definitions of drills.
Timelines for drill completion.
Drill debrief.
Whole community inclusion.
How can the Arizona Department of Education support emergency preparedness training and exercise initiatives in Arizona schools?
The Arizona Department of Education offers best practice guidance in the Drills and Exercises: Guidelines for Schools toolkit. This kit contains an example after-action report and links to scenarios ranging from natural disasters to acts of violence.
School communities interested in training staff to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from school emergencies can request training from the statewide crisis prevention and intervention training cadre. The cadre consists of trainers located in various regions of Arizona. The Arizona Department of Education may be able to cover participant fees and trainer payment for requested training in the PREPaRE curriculum. Learn more about the PREPaRE curriculum at About PREPaRE or request training on the ADE's PREPaRE Model webpage.
The ADE School Preparedness team engages school emergency planning partners through in-person and virtual tabletop exercise opportunities. When offered in person, these tabletops are hosted regionally. You can learn more about upcoming tabletop exercises, webinars, and trainings on the School Safety homepage.
The Minimum Requirements state that schools may submit their own training for review to comply with the requirements in Section I. What is the process for this review?
Submit the training (PowerPoint, teacher’s notes, etc.) to [email protected]
The team will review the training within 10 business days after confirming receipt of the materials.
The team will evaluate the training based on the objectives of the FEMA IS courses to ensure alignment of material. Specifically, the course must:
Explain the principles and basic structure of the Incident Command System (ICS).
Describe the NIMS management characteristics that are the foundation of the ICS.
Describe the ICS functional areas and the roles of the Incident Commander and Command Staff.
Describe the General Staff roles within ICS.
Identify how NIMS management characteristics apply to ICS for a variety of roles and discipline areas.
What worksheets should schools utilize when planning for the needs of students and staff members with disabilities and/or other access and functional needs?
The ADE recommends using the Individualized Emergency Safety Plan (IESP) in the Individual Education Program meeting to plan for student needs with all stakeholders in the student’s care at the table. This promotes consistency and ensures that parents or legal guardians are aware of and agree to the recommended plan. This form is linked above (online fillable and written formats) when you open the Emergency Operations Plan dropdown menu.
The Aggregate Summary for School Community Needs provides school safety planners with a tool to notate building- and campus-specific needs. These forms can be provided to responding agencies upon their arrival at the campus during an emergency. This form is linked above, when you open the Emergency Operations Plan dropdown menu and click on Appendix "A" Supporting Documents.
Project AWARE is a federal initiative funded by SAMHSA to build and expand the partnership between education and mental health systems at both the state and local levels.
