Gallagher Middle School- Smithfield, RI
With more and more mass shootings occurring across the country this year, local school administrators are continuing to secure their safety plans in case a tragedy strikes close to home.And, according to School Committee Chairman Sean Clough, Smithfield’s security procedures are a leading example not only in the state of Rhode Island but also nationally.In an effort to keep Smithfield students and staff safe, the School Department works with representatives from the town’s Police, Fire, and Emergency Management departments and continuously updates its emergency operations plan. A district emergency operations committee meets monthly to review and update the plan. Last year, teachers and staff from all six schools received training to replace traditional lockdown strategies in the event an armed intruder is present in one of the schools. The training program, which is nationally recognized, is called ALICE, which stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.” Read more
