2020 Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 388 - System of Public Instruction
NRS 388.253 - Department: Development of model plan for management of a suicide or a crisis or emergency; requirements for model plan; authorized dissemination of plans prepared by Department and development committee; annual review and update of model plan.

1. The Department shall, with assistance from other state agencies, including, without limitation, the Division of Emergency Management, the Investigation Division, and the Nevada Highway Patrol Division of the Department of Public Safety, develop a model plan for the management of:

(a) A suicide; or

(b) A crisis or emergency that involves a public school or a private school and that requires immediate action.

2. The model plan must include, without limitation, a procedure for:

(a) In response to a crisis or emergency:

(1) Coordinating the resources of local, state and federal agencies, officers and employees, as appropriate;

(2) Accounting for all persons within a school;

(3) Assisting persons within a school in a school district, a charter school or a private school to communicate with each other;

(4) Assisting persons within a school in a school district, a charter school or a private school to communicate with persons located outside the school, including, without limitation, relatives of pupils and relatives of employees of such a school, the news media and persons from local, state or federal agencies that are responding to a crisis or an emergency;

(5) Assisting pupils of a school in the school district, a charter school or a private school, employees of such a school and relatives of such pupils and employees to move safely within and away from the school, including, without limitation, a procedure for evacuating the school and a procedure for securing the school;

(6) Reunifying a pupil with his or her parent or legal guardian;

(7) Providing any necessary medical assistance;

(8) Recovering from a crisis or emergency;

(9) Carrying out a lockdown at a school;

(10) Providing shelter in specific areas of a school; and

(11) Providing disaster behavioral health related to a crisis, emergency or suicide;

(b) Providing specific information relating to managing a crisis or emergency that is a result of:

(1) An incident involving hazardous materials;

(2) An incident involving mass casualties;

(3) An incident involving an active shooter;

(4) An incident involving a fire, explosion or other similar situation;

(5) An outbreak of disease;

(6) Any threat or hazard identified in the hazard mitigation plan of the county in which the school district is located, if such a plan exists; or

(7) Any other situation, threat or hazard deemed appropriate;

(c) Providing pupils and staff at a school that has experienced a crisis or emergency with access to counseling and other resources to assist in recovering from the crisis or emergency;

(d) Evacuating pupils and employees of a charter school to a designated space within an identified public middle school, junior high school or high school in a school district that is separate from the general population of the school and large enough to accommodate the charter school, and such a space may include, without limitation, a gymnasium or multipurpose room of the public school;

(e) Selecting an assessment tool which assists in responding to a threat against the school by a pupil or pupils;

(f) On an annual basis, providing drills to instruct pupils in the appropriate procedures to be followed in response to a crisis or an emergency. Such drills must occur:

(1) At different times during normal school hours; and

(2) In cooperation with other state agencies, pursuant to this section.

(g) Responding to a suicide or attempted suicide to mitigate the effects of the suicide or attempted suicide on pupils and staff at the school, including, without limitation, by making counseling and other appropriate resources to assist in recovering from the suicide or attempted suicide available to pupils and staff;

(h) Providing counseling and other appropriate resources to pupils and school staff who have contemplated or attempted suicide;

(i) Outreach to persons and organizations located in the community in which a school that has had a suicide by a pupil, including, without limitation, religious and other nonprofit organizations, that may be able to assist with the response to the suicide;

(j) Addressing the needs of pupils at a school that has experienced a crisis, emergency or suicide who are at a high risk of suicide, including, without limitation, pupils who are members of the groups described in subsection 3 of NRS 388.256; and

(k) Responding to a pupil who is determined to be a person in mental health crisis, as defined in NRS 433A.0175, including, without limitation:

(1) Utilizing mobile mental health crisis response units, where available, before transporting the pupil to a public or private mental health facility pursuant to subparagraph (2); and

(2) Transporting the pupil to a public or private mental health facility or hospital for admission pursuant to NRS 433A.150.

3. In developing the model plan, the Department shall consider the plans developed pursuant to NRS 388.243 and 394.1687 and updated pursuant to NRS 388.245 and 394.1688.

4. The Department shall require a school district to ensure that each public school in the school district identified pursuant to paragraph (d) of subsection 2 is prepared to allow a charter school to evacuate to the school when necessary in accordance with the procedure included in the model plan developed pursuant to subsection 1. A charter school shall hold harmless, indemnify and defend the school district to which it evacuates during a crisis or an emergency against any claim or liability arising from an act or omission by the school district or an employee or officer of the school district.

5. The Department may disseminate to any appropriate local, state or federal agency, officer or employee, as the Department determines is necessary:

(a) The model plan developed by the Department pursuant to subsection 1;

(b) A plan developed pursuant to NRS 388.243 or updated pursuant to NRS 388.245;

(c) A plan developed pursuant to NRS 394.1687 or updated pursuant to NRS 394.1688; and

(d) A deviation approved pursuant to NRS 388.251 or 394.1692.

6. The Department shall, at least once each year, review and update as appropriate the model plan developed pursuant to subsection 1.

(Added to NRS by 2001, 1327; A 2011, 1077; 2015, 201; 2017, 210, 2730, 4017; 2019, 1764, 2616, 3244) — (Substituted in revision for NRS 392.640)