Should Schools Give Students Active Shooter Training?

Do you think schools should give students active shooter training? They already hold fire drills. Depending on the part of the country, schools may give earthquake drills or tornado drills (which is what I grew up getting) along with the standard fire drills. So why not teach kids about the latest threat to emerge that could affect them while on school grounds. Isn’t it better that students put some thought into what they would do if one of their classmates pull out a gun (or knife) and begin attacking people than to have them never think about it and not know what to do?

That stance is one that schools in Georgetown , Massachusetts is taking. Schools there will begin providing active shooter training in all grades from kindergarten through 12th grade. In early January, schools held an information session at a middle and high school.

The schools will use the ALICE program, which stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.” These are the steps they hope the kids will learn by heart, similar to “Stop, Drop and Roll” which we were all taught to remember in case of a fire.

Georgetown Police Chief Donald Cudmore said, “It’s a scary topic.” But the idea is to give the students skills that may save their life. Police Sgt. Derek Jones, who explained the training the Georgetown Middle/High School students will receive, said, “ALICE is about getting away from danger. It’s a proactive strategy, and it works. It’s proven to save lives. I guarantee you that your kids will feel like they can survive an active shooter situation.”

According to the schools, the strategy of locking doors and hiding from a shooter doesn’t work. If the shooter is determined to gain access to a building and find people inside, they will. And police will likely not be able to respond in time to prevent a tragedy.

The schools are going to use age-appropriate training for each age group. For instance, younger grades, from kindergarten through third, will simply be taught to listen to their teachers. If no adult is available, they are to get out of the building however they can. They will not be expected to practice actual scenarios. Middle and high school students will go through actual scenarios and will practice barricading doors. The in-between grades will experience training in between these two approaches. Trainings and drills will be ongoing, just as they are for fire drills.

Here’s what ALICE means:
Alert: Know what and where the danger is.

Lockdown: Stay in place and barricade doors, using common items such as belts and cables to prevent doors from being opened.

Inform: Use intercoms to tell everyone where the bad guy is, where he is going, what he is doing.

Counter: Take back control by being a hard target: distract the bad guy by running around and screaming; spread out; throw things at his head.

Evacuate: Get out whenever and however you can.