Fire drills, long a standard part of school days, date back at least to 1914. Depending on where you grew up, you may also remember other types of school drills—such as the “Cold War” drills of the 1950s–1970s, where students were taught to duck under their desks in preparation for possible atomic/nuclear bombings.
Emergency drills continue to evolve and diversify. In Texas schools today, there are six recognized categories:
- Fire drills
- General evacuation drills
- Severe-weather drills
- Shelter-in-place, or “hazmat,” drills
- Lockdown drills (which include active-shooter drills)
- “Secure” drills (for potential threats outside the school that cause minimal disruption to business-as-usual)
Emergency drills aren’t unique to schools, of course. But schools comprise large groups of youngsters with relatively few adult supervisors. Which presents extra challenges when students have trouble following verbal instructions, walking out calmly, ducking-and-covering, or hiding from danger.
New Texas Law Requires Inclusive Drills
“In developing or modifying an individualized education program or a Section 504 plan for a student, the student’s committee or team … shall consider whether the student’s disabilities or impairments would require the school district to provide any specific accommodations for the student during a mandatory school drill.”
–Senate Bill 57 from the 89th Texas Legislature, signed into law and “effective immediately” on June 20, 2025
The new law places Texas among a handful of states that specifically mention emergency drills as part of student accommodations. When emergency planning is left to individual schools and districts, some handle that job admirably. As described by BridgingApps Program Manager Amy Fuchs, former teacher and special education advocate: “Where I worked, they always had plans for emergency situations, and everyone did whatever they needed to get everyone out safely. The teachers would have physically carried students out if necessary.”
Sadly, not all schools are so conscientious.
- “The ‘hide’ part of active-shooter drills frightens me: I know that my child would not be able to keep quiet. Classmates’ parents are afraid he might endanger their children as well. The school keeps brushing off requests for an alternative plan.” –Mother of an autistic student
- “Gunfire went off [and] my cane was far away from me on the floor. … It was really chaotic. … I was the last person out … and the police had their guns trained on me because I [couldn’t] put both my hands in the air [while holding the cane].” –Active-shooting survivor with autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis
- “Nobody ever came and saw her, nobody checked … My daughter felt when she came home from school that nothing’s gonna happen [about improving evacuation plans] until somebody dies.” –Father of a wheelchair-using student who was left in a third-floor classroom during an evacuation
For Texas parents who worry about their children being trapped in such fiascos, the new law is a new advocacy tool for creating better Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Advocating for Emergency Plans in IEPs
For general information on IEPs and how to make them work, our Youth2Adult website has multiple resources. Here, we’ll focus on creating a “drills and emergencies” section in your child’s IEP.
Key points:
- If you think your child might panic, wander off, or be left stranded, insist that a specific individual be assigned to assist your child in any drill/emergency. Don’t take “the nearest adult will handle it” for an answer.
- Make sure the whole IEP team is clear on essentials. What training do the teachers have in assisting disabled students? What specific difficulties might your child have getting out/hiding/staying with their group? What medications/assistive technology must your child take along in an evacuation? Are there any aspects of a drill (e.g., sirens or flashing lights) that could trigger meltdown, seizures, or other adverse reactions?
- If a drill is likely to create real trauma, the IEP team may decide that your child should be exempted from that drill altogether. In that case, remember that a real emergency could still occur, and the IEP must plan for that.
Examples of Emergency Accommodations
Some specific accommodations that have worked for disabled students:
- Special practice sessions with the student’s IEP team
- Blackout glasses (to prevent seizures from flashing lights)
- Noise-cancelling headphones
- Vibrating pagers or visual cues (for hard-of-hearing students)
- Comfort objects
- Hard candy or something else to suck on (calms the student down and helps them to keep quiet)
- Designating a “low-stimulation” section in the evacuation area
See also our BridgingApps Emergency Planning and Disaster Preparedness App List.
If you want more information to share with an IEP team and/or school staff, an excellent resource is the “Emergency Preparedness for Students with Disabilities” guide from the Los Angeles Unified School District. Written for educators, the five-page .pdf offers detailed recommendations on assisting disabled students.
