18A:3B-69 Emergency operations plan for institutions of higher education.

1. a. The governing board of each institution of higher education shall develop and coordinate an emergency operations plan to ensure the continuity of essential institution functions under all circumstances. The plan shall:

(1) identify a baseline of preparedness for all potential emergencies, including pandemics, to establish a viable capability to perform essential functions during any emergency that disrupts normal operations; and

(2) be coordinated with State and local authorities including, but not limited to, the State Office of Emergency Management, local law enforcement officers, county and local health officers, county offices of emergency management, and other emergency responders.

b. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following components: identification of essential functions, programs, and personnel; procedures to implement the plan; delegation of authority and lines of succession; identification of alternative facilities and related infrastructure, including those for communications; identification and protection of vital records and databases; and schedules and procedures for periodic tests, training, and exercises. The plan shall be consistent with the local emergency operations plan of the municipality in which the institution is located.

c. The governing board of the institution shall adopt and submit for review an emergency operations plan to the Secretary of Higher Education, the State Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Health, and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness within six months of the effective date of this act. The governing board shall review, update, and resubmit the plan to the offices every five years. If an emergency incident occurs at an institution during the five-year period, the plan shall be reviewed immediately.

d. The Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the State Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Health, and the Secretary of Higher Education shall review the emergency operations plan submitted by an institution of higher education pursuant to subsection c. of this section and, when necessary, shall in coordination with other State agencies make recommendations to the institution for improving the plan that are deemed necessary.

e. Any plan prepared pursuant to this section shall not be considered a government record as defined in section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 (C.47:1A-1.1) and shall not be available for public inspection, copying, or the purchase of copies.

L.2011, c.214, s.1; amended 2012, c.17, s.73.