Springfield Public Schools- Springfield, OR
An alternative to the traditional lockdowns used in violent intruder incidents has shown positive potential in improving survival rates, police and Springfield School District staffers say. Go ask ALICE – an acronym for ‘Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate,’ a national institute with programs for staff as well as age-adjusted materials for students. On Sept. 2 and 3, some 1,350 faculty members in Springfield Public Schools gathered at Agnes Stewart Middle to enact scenarios involving a potential active intruder, and develop strategies for proactive response, rather than passive, reactive lockdown as the only default. Springfield Police official and school resource officer Darin Vetter said further ALICE training would be provided later to students, though without the scenarios performed by faculty, by using workbooks and other age-appropriate materials. “We’ve heard several people say this was an awesome training – they feel empowered; they’re not just going to be stuck in a room without any choices,” Vetter said. Read more
