posted: September 14, 2022
School Safety Training Video Unveiled
At the request of high school students, APS put together a video to prepare students to respond to a dangerous intruder on campus.
The video goes over a safety protocol called ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. The safety training emphasizes an active response to a possible violent attack on campus, teaching students and staff to run from danger when possible.
“It pains me to be at a point where we have to talk about protecting ourselves from bad people coming into our schools, but it would be irresponsible anymore not to have these difficult conversations,” Superintendent Scott Elder says in the introduction of the video.
Middle and high school students will watch the ALICE video, available in English and Spanish, during their advisory classes. The video, which is about five minutes long, was produced by the district and features two of its police officers who often conduct training for teachers and staff.
“ALICE is proactive, meaning do something, not nothing,” APS Police Lt. Steven Marez says in the video. “Don’t lockdown, hide, and wait. Don’t wait for permission to take action. Bottom line, do whatever you need to do to keep yourself and others alive.”
For elementary school students who may not be intellectually or emotionally mature enough to watch the video, APS is providing an age-appropriate book on the topic that can read at school. “I’m Not Scared… I’m Prepared” by Julia Cook is about a teacher at Ant Hill School who wants her students to be prepared for everything. The lesson uses the Sheep (students), the Shepherd (teacher), and the Wolf (an intruder) to teach what students would do if a “dangerous someone” entered their school.
APS principals sent links to the videos and book to families who may choose to preview them.
Families were also reminded to keep their contact information up to date so they could be reached and reunited with their children if there was an emergency at their child’s school.
ALICE training takes place every school year. Schools practice fire drills, shelters-in-place, and an evacuation drill to an off-campus location.
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