The Shawano School District on Tuesday unveiled its new options-based plan for responding to emergency situations in the schools at a sparsely attended community informational meeting.
The district recently adopted a policy that would change the way schools respond to life-threatening emergencies such as an armed intruder entering a school building.
“In the past, most of the response was, ‘let’s hide and hope the bad person doesn’t come and find us,’” said Shawano Community High School Principal Scott Zwirschitz.
Previous lockdown procedures — more accurately referred to as “secure hold,” Zwirschitz said — involved the staff locking their doors, moving the students to a part of the room where they could not be seen, and quietly remaining there until an “all clear” announcement was given.
The new policy relies on a program known as ALICE, which is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
Lockdown is still an option, but with the added initiative of barricading the door if there’s no way out.
In cases where evacuation isn’t possible, the ALICE model promotes the “counter” option, which could include anything from distracting the shooter by throwing things at him to swarming over him and taking him down.
ALICE will be implemented in all Shawano School District buildings this year.
The “counter” option is seen as the most controversial part of the ALICE plan, but, Zwirschitz said, the option doesn’t mean putting one’s self in harm’s way if it can be avoided.
“We’re not asking people to go out and act like commandos,” he said.
Zwirschitz said the first choice would always be evacuation if it’s possible, and he said staff has already been instructed in that.
“I tell them, ‘if you’re on the first floor and you have a window, open it up and get out,’” he said.
The district has designated rallying spots for students who have evacuated the schools. High school, middle school and intermediate students are to go to the Zion Lutheran Church.
Hillcrest students are to go to the Methodist Church across the street.
Zwirschitz was joined for the presentation by Olga Brener Intermediate School Principal Karen Smith, Shawano Police Capt. Jeff Heffernon, Lt. Brad Rabideau and School Resource Officer Jody Johnson.
“We want to increase survivability,” Heffernon said.
Heffernon said it was his goal to change the passive response to emergency situations that has become traditional.
“We’ve got to train for a more aggressive approach,” he said.
Fewer than 20 people turned out for Tuesday’s meeting at the high school, which was geared to parents, guardians and community members. Those who did attend were mostly concerned about how students would be trained in the new policy and how it would affect them.
Zwirschitz said the information presented to students would be tailored for their grade level.
He also said some options, such “counter,” are primarily for staff and not the students.
Heffernon compared the training for the elementary grades to learning what to do in a fire drill; a practice he said that often gets the younger children excited to tell their parents what they learned today.
Smith said the ALICE information shared with students would be handled carefully.
“The last thing we want to do is scare the students,” she said.
Categories
