Bethel School District – Eugene, OR

Prairie Mountain School fourth-grade teacher Jenifer Gerlach has never thought in much detail about how she would react if a gunman ­entered her classroom. Gerlach said she has read news stories about school shootings and paid attention to how teachers ­reacted, but never imagined ­herself in that kind of situation. Gerlach practiced on Friday with more than 600 other Bethel School District employees at Willamette High School how to prevent an active shooter from getting into classrooms and how to distract the shooter if he or she entered. “We all walked away feeling more empowered,” Gerlach said. “We all walked away feeling like we have more tools in our toolbox. It’s not just about hiding our kids under seats.” The training is called ALICE, or Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate — based on guidelines from an a Ohio-based training company. Read more