Licking Heights Central Middle School- Pataskala, OH
An intruder attempted to enter a classroom at Licking Heights Central Middle School last week, but he was unsuccessful. That is because a group of staff members first barricaded the door with desks and then wrapped an electrical cord around the door knob, pulling on the cord to ensure the door would not open. Everything about the incident was staged as part of a training exercise. The district has offered school safety training in the past, but Aug. 17 marked the first time it had offered ALICE training. Claudia Henrickson, executive director of special education and pupil services, said training and implementation are going well. “ALICE is what we want them to do, but not in that order,” she said. “If they have the ability to get out of the school, they should. They may need to barricade the classroom, or if the perpetrator is running, you may make noises or throw something to distract them. Read more
