SAUGUS — Parents will be the next to learn about a new active shooter response training that will be implemented in the schools by next year.
Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi will explain the new Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate (ALICE) during informational meetings on May 13 and May 20.
“Early on we want to let parents know that this is coming and reduce anxiety,” said Brendan Sullivan, executive director of curriculum and accountability. “I have young children myself and I know the anxiety of a parent when you’re talking about this, and there’s no way we can ever eliminate that completely.”
But working with other districts who have already implemented the program and providing parents with as much information as possible is a start, he said.
Parents aren’t the only ones who are wary.
The biggest concern among School Committee members, who will be tasked with creating a policy for the step that requires countering action, is the burden of deciding who should be asked to throw things at or distract a person with a gun.
“How can we write a policy on something like that?” asked committeewoman Liz Marchese, who suggested the panel seek opinions from the school attorney and the insurance carrier for the district.
“This worries me,” she said. “This is the part that worries me.”
Committeewoman Linda Gaieski was brought to tears when she referenced the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. If it had been a high school and the students were older, they could have helped distract the shooter using the method, she said.
“All I can think about is that first grade teacher who put those kids in a closet and she stood in front of them to protect them,” said Gaieski. “That shooter shot her and she died protecting those kids. Had that been a high school, someone was going to get hurt, but in a high school, maybe that can be prevented.”
DeRuosi explained that the step wouldn’t necessarily need to be taken.
“We are training people to look at each situation and react to it,” said DeRuosi. “This is a last resort to be taken to save lives. However, it is under the policy of the School Committee to say who should and who should not counter. Nobody is advocating running down the hall and trying to tackle a shooter.”
The Massachusetts Task Force Report on School Safety and Security’s recommendations to the governor states that the lockdown method, which includes students hiding under desks or against walls, is no longer a stand-alone strategy to secure in place during an active shooter threat.
Instead, Saugus Police Chief Ronald Giorgetti recommended the public schools train administrators, teachers and students in the Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate (ALICE) method. Saugus Police were trained in this method last year, but it couldn’t be used in the schools until the procedure is adopted by the School Committee. The panel adopted the procedure last month.
Parents will be next to learn about it in the next two weeks. All teachers are expected to be trained before the start of the new school year.
The lockdown technique originated during the Cold War as a method of protection from nuclear threats. Schools began using it in active shooter situations after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, said DeRuosi.
“They felt the quickest way to save lives in the event of an active shooter would be to lock the building, lock the rooms and stay in place,” said DeRuosi. “Since Columbine, law enforcement has spent a lot of time learning from each and every school shooting — and ALICE was born.”
ALICE is a comprehensive emergency response program that provides strategic methods to help individuals better respond to an active threat.
The first step, alert, includes becoming aware of the threat, overcoming denial and recognizing the signs of danger.
The second step is to go into a lockdown by barricading the room. This differs from the lockdown-only method, because the time in lockdown should be used to prepare an evacuation or counter strategy. Students also no longer gather in large groups like they did with the original method. During training, students learn when and how to communicate with police and techniques for barricading a room, according to alicetraining.com.
The next steps include clearly communicating information about the situation, using channels such as video surveillance, 911 calls and PA announcements; countering by creating noise, movement, distance and distractions if necessary; and evacuating a danger zone when it is safe.
“I think the countering part is what freaks people out,” said DeRuosi. “But once you take the training, it does make sense.”
Training occurs online and through hands-on drills to ensure learning retention and proper application of strategies. Training modules, which are available to all staff, will be tailored based on students’ ages and needs.
Teachers will complete hands-on training over the summer, run through drills in September, and then it will be introduced to students, said DeRuosi.