Sitka School District – Sitka, AK
The Sitka School Board heard a presentation on the ALICE program, which represents a departure for personal safety in life-threatening situations. A school shooting is difficult to contemplate, much less talk about, but an important component of ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate is just that — talking about this horrific scenario and knowing how to respond.Blatchley Middle School principal Ben White attended a two-day training in Juneau to get his ALICE certification, along with Baranof principal Mark Lee, EMS captain Rob Janik, and Sitka police officers Brad Wheeler and Walter Smith.White told the board that law enforcement strategists had concluded that the lockdown should not be the universal response to an active shooter. In fact, just the opposite may be safer. “One of the things they talked a lot about was empowering staff and students to make a decision for themselves in the moment.” Read more
