LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S CHAPTER
SIGNATURE
464
JULY 15, 2021 PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
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H.P. 309 - L.D. 429
An Act To Protect the Health of Students and Educators by Requiring School
Emergency Management Plans To Address Health and Safety
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1001, sub-§16, as repealed and replaced by PL 2007, c. 408,
§1, is amended to read:
16. Comprehensive health and safety and emergency management plan. Each
school board shall annually approve a comprehensive health and safety and emergency
management plan developed by the school unit administration working with school
teachers and staff and local, county and state public safety officials, fire-fighting personnel,
emergency management officials, mental health officials and, law enforcement officials,
school nurses, physicians and public health staff to identify and deal with all hazards and
potential hazards that could reasonably be expected to affect a facility or unit under the
authority of the school administrative unit. The approval of a comprehensive health and
safety and emergency management plan under this subsection is public information. At
the request of any school board member or full-time school employee, the school board
shall form a steering committee composed of school employees, school board members,
parents and others. A majority of the school employees must be chosen by the local
representatives of the applicable bargaining unit if the school employees are covered by a
collective bargaining agreement. The steering committee shall regularly review and refine
the comprehensive health and safety and emergency management plan. The following
information pertaining to a comprehensive health and safety and emergency management
plan is public information:
A. A description of the scope and purpose of the comprehensive health and safety and
emergency management plan and the process used for developing and updating the
plan;
B. General information on auditing for safety and preparedness;
C. Roles and responsibilities of school administrators, teachers and staff and the
designated chain of command during an emergency; and
Page 1 - 130LR1001(03)
 D. Strategies for conveying information to parents and the general public during an
emergency.
Except as provided in paragraphs A to D, release of the contents of a comprehensive health
and safety and emergency management plan approved under this subsection is subject to
the limitations set forth in Title 1, section 402, subsection 3, paragraph L.
Page 2 - 130LR1001(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 464: 20-A.1001