Fairfax County SEPTA strongly supports Delegate Cohen's bill requiring schools to maximize the ability to evacuate all students from a building during an evacuation drill or emergency requiring evacuation. Many families aren't even aware that their students with mobility impairments aren't evacuating the building with their non-disabled peers, as this is often not explicitly communicated by the school. I have attached a document entitled "Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities" written by the National Fire Protection Association and published in November 2022. While Areas of Refuge are mentioned, this document also talks about emergency stair travel devices, and facility/building improvements that can be made to facilitate evacuation of people with disabilities (such as modifications that can be made to elevators to allow them to continue to be used in an evacuation drill/emergency). These options allow for both short-term and long-term improvement options to ensure *all* students and staff can evacuate the building. The fact of the matter is that these students are currently being denied access to the practice of actually evacuating that their nondisabled peers access monthly during required drills when there is technology that would allow them to do so. Times have changed. Technology has improved. Accessibility has improved. It's past time for our emergency procedures to improve along with them. Our children and staff with mobility impairments - whether temporary or permanent - deserve the equal opportunity to evacuate the building alongside their nondisabled peers. Thank you.

Fairfax County SEPTA (Special Education PTA), representing the over 30,000 students receiving special education services, their families, & staff who serve them, supports HB 501, Presently in FCPS, students with mobility needs are typically relocated to a "safe room" during an evacuation. These students do not then actually practice their evacuation. Additionally, they experience increased anxiety, knowing that they are still inside a building where they are (or are practicing in the event of being) in imminent danger while their peers are all evacuated safely. We strongly support this bill.