Pittsburgh Post Gazette- Pittsburgh, PA
In the wake of high-profile shootings like those at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut and, most recently, at a community college in Roseburg, Ore., many Pittsburgh area schools have adopted “ALICE training.” The acronym stands for “alert, lock-down, inform, counter, evacuate.” “Counter,” according to the ALICE Training, is the “last-ditch and worst-case scenario option.” It does not mean that students or teachers should confront an assailant head-on, but perform “disruptive actions that create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately.” Of course, educators aren’t the only ones responsible for teaching children how to respond if the unthinkable happens. Parents must be involved, too. And with mass shootings occurring across the U.S. with devastating regularity, it’s a good idea for people of all ages to learn ALICE, or a similar protocol. Read more
