A.L.I.C.E.
Alert, Lockdown & Barricade, Inform, Counter & Swarm, Evacuate
The Cedarburg School District recognizes that staff and students need to be well trained to respond to active threats in the most effective and appropriate manner. Over the years, we have taken many steps to enhance our safety and security measures throughout the district. Working closely with experts from inside and outside our community, we have improved all aspects of our safety infrastructure. However, there’s still more that can be done.
The district’s current work focuses on improving our responses to a violent threat (armed intruder) within one of our buildings. Schools across the country have used a method we call Lockdown to respond to an armed intruder. In the event an unauthorized person enters the school buildings or grounds, a Lockdown alert is given; and students and staff are instructed to lock their classroom doors, turn out the lights, hide in the farthest corner of the classroom, and remain calm and quiet. This is the procedure that we, and most districts, have followed for years; but we now know that we must provide students and staff with more options. Law enforcement experts have concluded that providing staff and students with more options, besides the traditional lockdown response, will prove more effective.
Our district has enhanced the Lockdown procedures that we, as well as experts across the country, believe will increase the chance of survival during a critical violent incident. The enhancements we will teach our staff and students are known as ALICE. ALICE is a federally endorsed safety protocol.
The letters ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate:
Alert - get the word out using clear concise language and describe the location of the event.
Lockdown - a good starting point, the Lockdown ncludes locking the door but also barricading to deny entry.
Inform - continual communication keeping the staff and students informed allows for good decision making.
Counter - as last resort, if an armed intruder is able to get into the space that they are in; staff and students are applying skills of movement, noise, distance, distractions and using our overwhelming numbers to gain control of the situation (age and ability appropriate).
Evacuate - if safe to do so, all are encouraged to evacuate the building, and remove themselves from the threat.
In NO WAY are we asking or teaching our students or staff to make any attempt to subdue an armed intruder outside of their secure area. Under ALICE training, staff and students are oriented to different options to respond to a school intruder who is intent on doing harm. In certain circumstances, the “lock the door and hide” strategy might be appropriate. In some cases, the teacher and students might take precautions to barricade the entrance(s) of the classroom. Under certain conditions, it might be the best decision for the teacher and students to flee the building. It is the intention of ALICE that the strategies provided will improve responses to an intruder and reduce casualties.
Please contact your building principal if you have any questions about the ALICE program or if you prefer that your student not participate in the training. We look forward to working with our students to provide them with skills they might need at school and in the community if confronted with a violent intruder. Please expect further communication from building principals regarding the next steps for training in their schools.
Our goal is to ensure that students and staff are prepared for life beyond the school setting.
Learn more about ALICE here.
Resources:
https://www.alicetraining.com/news/press-release-posts/independent-research-finds-traditional-lockdown-is-no-longer-a-viable-stand-alone-option-in-school-shootings/
https://www.alicetraining.com/news/press-release-posts/alice-training-institute-recognized-by-am-best/
https://www.alicetraining.com/about-us/alice-in-action/
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