ALICE Training

ALICE In the 2019-2020 school year, Craven County Schools, along with Craven County Sheriff’s Office and surrounding agencies, will implement ALICE. You must be wondering, what is ALICE? ALICE will be the new process for responding to a critical incident on a school campus, such as an intruder or an active shooter. We teach our children about a fire drill, about a tornado drill, and about stranger danger. Now we are teaching our children the options to take necessary action to protect themselves or others in the event of a crisis situation. The ALICE components could be used beyond the school building as well. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Students will be trained on what these components mean and look like at their age level. All Craven County students will learn how to put these components into practice.

ALICE - will replace the traditional lockdown A - Alert - 1st awareness of danger L - Lockdown - to secure in place if intruder is close by, barricade doors and spread out in room I - Inform - continuous communication of intruder’s location in real time C - Counter - last resort, and only if intruder is in your room (i.e. throwing objects at intruder, adults swarm intruder) E - Evacuate - get away from the danger zone when safe to do so The above strategies can be used in any order. This allows you to rely on your own judgement.

A - ALERT This is the first notification of danger. You need to assess if you are in immediate danger to help you make a decision. This alert could be with your senses (see an intruder, hear gunshots, etc.). You must act immediately to choose the best action - lockdown, evacuate, inform or counter. Avoid denial or overreaction - listen for more sounds, investigate if you can do so safely, watch what others are doing, pay attention to your surroundings. Remember that students will look to you on how to react and respond, so remain calm.

L - LOCKDOWN This is an enhanced, proactive approach, which is different from the traditional lockdown. You can… barricade the doors with large furniture, tie a belt or cord around the door handle to hold it. spread out in the room out of sight rather than all sit in one spot; avoid the doorway. communicate - if intruder is near, remain quiet; if intruder is farther away, call the office and 911.

I - INFORM This is when ongoing information is passed along to communicate real-time details about the intruder. This may be done using the classroom phone, PA system, two-way radios, text, or Blackboard notification system. This also may be when 911 is contacted if they were not called during the initial alert. To inform others effectively: Use plain language (no code words). Give specific details. Be observant and use your senses. Location of the intruder - this is the most helpful information! How many intruders? Physical description (ethnicity, build, height, clothing, logos, tattoos or other identifying marks, wearing protective gear)? What kind of weapons? Number of victims?

C - COUNTER Counter is to be used as a last resort if you can’t lockdown or evacuate. The purpose is to interrupt the focus of the intruder, which prevents or delays his/her actions. Counter Techniques (should be immediate): Distract - force the intruder to flinch or move to protect self by throwing, spraying, or making noise. Control - adults or much older students can do this; you could swarm around the person and take control of their arms and legs; stay in place until law enforcement arrives Secure the weapon by covering it with a trash can. Do NOT hold the weapon or police will come after you! Counter works because… all humans respond automatically to unpredicted stimuli (close your eyes, shield your face). you can act faster than the intruder can react. you may cause pain for the intruder, which works to your advantage.

E - EVACUATE This is the preferred response over lockdown and counter when possible. Best practices: Know evacuation routes and plan in advance. Call only when it’s safe. Take any action necessary to evacuate, such as breaking windows. Leave personal belongings behind and get out! Practice evacuation drills. If you are reluctant to evacuate, remember that… 98% of shooters are single attackers. students have a greater risk of getting hurt by staying in the building than getting out and possibly falling. Once law enforcement has secured the scene, all students and staff should report to their previously designated rally point to account for everyone.