State law requires each school committee and Commonwealth charter school board of trustees to adopt an emergency medical and behavioral response plan (MBHERP), update it as needed, and submit it to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) every three years. The law, Massachusetts General Laws M.G.L. c. 69, § 8A , was enacted in 2012. The statute was amended in 2022 to specify that emergency response plans must address behavioral health medical emergencies as well as medical emergencies and must include protocols for informing parents/guardians and reporting to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE when schools contact police, Emergency Medical Technicians EMTs, or other non-behavioral health personnel to respond to a behavioral health crisis.
Updated plans are next due to be submitted to the Department on or before September 1, 2027.
Starting in the 2026–2027 school year, districts and charter schools will report to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE when police, emergency medical technicians (EMS), or other non-behavioral health personnel are contacted in response to behavioral health crises. This reporting will be combined with Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE's annual collection of required information related to School Resource Officers (SROs). Additional information regarding the reporting process and submission instructions will be provided once confirmed.
Superintendents are responsible for submitting Medical and Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plans on behalf of their districts' schools. Plans may be submitted using either of the following methods:
Medical Emergency Response Plan MERP DropBox (Preferred Method): Submit plans through the Medical Emergency Response Plan MERP DropBox in the Security Portal. To access the DropBox, a district-level directory administrator must assign the superintendent or their designee the Medical Emergency Response Plan MERP DropBox role in their user profile.
Email: Districts experiencing difficulty accessing or using the Medical Emergency Response Plan MERP DropBox may email their plans to merp@mass.gov .
File Naming Convention: Before submission, districts should name each file using the following format: 8DigitSchoolCode_SchoolName_DistrictName_Date.
For example: 01650003_Beebe_MaldenPS_08-28-27
School and district names may be abbreviated. School codes can be verified by searching for the school under "Public Schools" on Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE Profiles.
For questions or assistance with submitting plans, please contact Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE's Office of Student and Family Support at merp@mass.gov .
Model Medical and Behavioral Emergency Response Plan — February 2026
Last Updated: October 30, 2026