The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been charged with assisting local education agencies (LEAs) with resources designed to assist creating safe and secure learning environments for students and staff. As DESE will continue to add training, guidance, and resource features we encourage school administrators to revisit the website periodically.

All LEAs are advised to proactively work with local law enforcement, fire departments, health departments, community groups to ensure that school safety and emergency planning and response is inclusive of all relevant community partners.

Communications

 

Standards

• Standards for Emergency Operations Plan
• Annual Physical Security Site Assessment

Cardiac Emergency Response Plan

Cardiac Emergency Response Plan

Deadline for Implementation: 2026-2027 school year and subsequent years

Statutory Citation: Section 160.482, RSMo 

Resources Available:  

• School Safety and Emergency Planning webpage 
• CERP Implementation Resource Guide.
• American Heart Association
• Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Grant Program
• Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Resource Guide

1. Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation training required to be provided to high school students?

Yes. The passage of SB 68 does not waive the requirements contained in Section 170.310, RSMo, requiring LEAs to provide high school students with thirty minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction and training in the proper performance of the Heimlich Maneuver or other first aid for choking prior to graduation.

2. Who must be trained in first aid, CPR, and use of AED?

Appropriate school personnel must be certified in first aid, CPR, and AED use. This includes but is not limited to, athletic coaches, school nurses, and athletic trainers.

3. Does the law require LEAs to purchase AEDs?

Senate Bill 68 does not require LEAs to purchase AEDs unless the general assembly appropriates funds.  However, there is nothing in Section 160.482 that prohibits an LEA from the using other sources of funding to purchase this equipment.

4. Where should an LEA place AEDs? 

Appropriate placement of the AED must be in alignments with the LEAs Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) and in accordance with guidelines sets by the American Heart Association or other nationally recognized guidelines for cardiac care.

As part of the CERP, LEAs should also coordinate with local emergency response services to integrate placement of AEDs throughout the school campus. 

AED’s should be identified with appropriate signage. In addition, all AED’s should be registered with the Missouri 911 Service Board. 

Stop the Bleed

Stop the Bleed

Deadline for implementation: Before the end of 2025-2026 school year

Statutory citation: Section 160.485, RSMo.

Resources Available: Stop the Bleed

1. Where can I locate the protocol for Stop the Bleed?

The Department recommends that local education agencies (LEAs) follow the protocols outlined by the:

• American Red Cross
• American College of Surgeons
   

2. What items must be included in the bleeding control kit?

At a minimum, the bleeding control kid must contain:

1. tourniquets that meet the requirements in Section 160.485, RSMo.
   1. bleeding control bandages
      1. latex-free protective gloves
      2. permanent markers
      3. instructional documents developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, or both.

Center for Education Safety (CES) 

• Center for Education Safety (CES) 

Emergency Operations Plan

Emergency Operation Plan & Site Assessment

Deadline: July 1, 2006

Statutory Citation: Section 160.480, RSMo

Resources – Emergency Operation Plan: 

• Emergency Operation Plan
• MSBA’s Center for Education Safety

Resources - Site Assessment

• Partner Alliance for Safer Schools
• Schoolsafety.gov

School Safety Academy

• School Safety Academy

Training Opportunities

Primary and Secondary Safety Coordinator & Incident Command System Training

Deadline: On or before July 1, 2026, each LEA must designate a Primary and Secondary Safety Coordinator.

Statutory Citation:  Section 160.66, RSMo 

Resources: 

• MSBA’s Center for Education Safety (CES) School Safety Academy 
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute 
   

1. Is an LEA required to employ or designate a safety coordinator at both the elementary and secondary school level?

No. The statutory reference is intended to mean that the LEA designates one individual to act as the main coordinator and a second to act in that individual’s place in the event that they were unavailable or unable to serve in that capacity.

2. What training is required for a school safety coordinator?

Each LEA’s primary and secondary safety coordinator should have a thorough knowledge of all federal, state, and local school violence prevention programs and resources available to students, teachers, or staff in the LEA. 

There are two different training requirements included in this question.  “Thorough knowledge” of prevention programs and resources; and Incident Command System (ICS) for schools.  A school safety coordinator may meet both of these requirements by:

• Completing the School Safety Academy certification course hosted by MSBA’s CES or any successor course created by CES to acquire Incident Command System (ICS) for school training along with knowledge of prevention programs and resources available to students, teachers or staff; and  
• Completing training on the Incident Command System (ICS) for Schools.  ICS online training is available on the FEMA website. The school safety coordinator must complete both: 
  • FEMA ICS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System, 
  • FEMA ICS-200.C: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response.

Note:  Both training requirements from this question, according to SB 68, can be fulfilled by attending CES’s School Safety Academy, however the “thorough knowledge” requirement is NOT fulfilled by completing the FEMA online courses. The FEMA online courses ONLY fulfill the ICS for school training requirements. 

3. How long does school safety coordinator have to complete required training?

School Safety coordinators and other designated personnel are to complete training within one year of designation by a LEA.

Age-Appropriate Active Shooter Training 

Deadline: Start in the 2026-2027 school year

Statutory Citation: Section 170.315, RSMo  

• When are these drills required?

For the 2026-27 school year and all subsequent school years, LEAs are to conduct an age-appropriate active shooter exercise in which students, teachers, and other school employees participate in and practice the procedures for safety and protection to be implemented under such conditions.

Grants

Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Grant Program

Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Resource Guide

Resources 

• Senate Bill 68 Guidance Topics
• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
• National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)
• Safe Schools Act
• Persistently Dangerous Schools

Tornado

• Missouri Storm Aware
• National Weather Service – St. Louis, MO
• National Weather Service – Kansas City, MO
• National Weather Service – Springfield, MO  

Earthquake

• Adopting Provision of Earthquake Emergency Program
• Distribution of Materials on Earthquake Safety
• Establishment of Earthquake Emergency System
• Earthquake Emergency Procedure System Requirements
• State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Earthquake Preparedness

Fire

• Fire Safety for Kids

Green Cleaning Guidelines and Specifications

• Guidance Document for Schools

Healthy School Environments

• Creating Healthy School Environments
• Resources for Educators and Coaches

Playground Safety

• National Program for Playground Safety

Courage2Report

Statutory Citation: Section 170.315, RSMo

1. Under SB68, public schools are required to foster an environment in which students feel comfortable sharing information relating to dangerous or threatening situations to a responsible adult. Are there specific training requirements? 

All LEAs are required to provide age-appropriate information and training for students on the use of Courage2Report (C2R) or its successor reporting mechanism.