STUDENT DRILL BILL BECOMES LAW

Law will help “plan for the worst but hope for the best”

AUGUSTA –A measure that prepares Maine students for times of emergency became law without Gov. Paul LePage’s signature today.

Sen. Nate Libby of Lewiston

As a response to tragedies in schools around the nation, the law expands the school evacuation drills to include lockdown drills in addition to the current practice of conducting fire drills.

“This is a matter of ‘plan for the worst but hope for the best,” said Senator Nate Libby of Lewiston, the sponsor of the measure. “As difficult as it is to imagine any kind of tragic event happening in our schools, I believe that students, teachers, school staff, parents, and public safety officials will benefit from this sort of preparedness.”

According to the Education Commission of the States, in 2013, twenty states required schools to conduct lockdown drills. Since then, several more states have been prompted to consider requiring schools conduct lockdown drills.

Senator Libby  has acknowledged the challenges to school districts, citing school time constraints, possible costs to municipalities, and the anxiety or fear any drills may cause. But he cautioned that these concerns would be less significant than the benefits of this practice, adding that local school districts and local public safety officials can “find the right balance” between fire drills and lockdown drills to avoid taking any more classroom time away from instruction.

“As policymakers we must weigh upsides and downsides with each piece of legislation that crosses our desks, no matter how difficult or controversial they may be,” said Senator Libby.

The measure is supported by the Maine Department of Education, Maine Fire Chiefs Association, Maine School Management Association, Maine Education Association, and Lewiston Public Schools and received unanimous support from the state’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee.

The law will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die.

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