Roanoke-Benson School District- Roanoke, IL
Lockdown drills will soon be part of the School Safety Plan in Illinois schools.Roanoke-Benson Superintendent Rohn Peterson told the District 60 school board on Thursday that staff and students will be trained this fall about how to deal with a school shooting crisis.“Fire, tornado and earthquake drills—we have those down,” he said. “Dealing with a shooter is iffy.” The new state-mandated drills are a response to the rise in school shootings across the United States in the recent past. Peterson cited statistics noting that 367 people had been killed in school shootings in the last 50 years, with 101 students killed in the last five years. Studies have resulted in a plan called A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) to respond to the crisis if it happens. The process of response starts with alerting as many people as possible by any means of communication as soon as possible. Once alerted, staff members start lockdown procedures, which include locking and barricading doors. Communication is used again to keep everyone as informed as possible about where the shooter is located. Read more[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
