November 4, 2021
Dear Parents & Guardians:
The safety and security of our students is of the utmost importance. To that end, we continuously review our policies and practices to ensure that recent research and data support the policies we employ. The US Department of Education, International Association of Chiefs of Police, FEMA and the FBI all recommend having active plans that include decision making and options rather than school lockdowns, in the unlikely event of a school intruder.
Arthur CUSD # 305 has adopted ALICE, a nationally recognized program. ALICE is a proactive set of responses to an active school intruder event which empowers individuals to utilize human action.
ALICE stands for:
- Alert – Get the word out! Use clear, concise language to convey the type and location of the event.
- Lockdown – Barricading the area for additional security.
- Inform – Communication keeps the intruder off balance and allows for good decision-making.
- Counter – Apply skills to distract, confuse and gain control.
- Evacuate – As soon as it is safe to do so, evacuate the building.
High school administrators as well as members of the Arthur police department have attended ALICE training and are certified ALICE instructors. The first phase of high school student training will occur during Flex periods in early November. Students will be versed in all aspects of ALICE and will be engaged in debriefing conversations with high school faculty members about ALICE. There will be no live simulations during this time, just instructions and questions on the ALICE program and how to respond. The second stage of high school student training will take place on November 18th during the law enforcement lockdown drill. This drill will include different scenarios presented to students and staff so they can decide how to react. A firearm will NOT be used in this drill. This drill will NOT include simulations that mimic an actual school shooting incident or active shooter event. Parents and guardians may exempt their child for any reason from participating in the walk-through lockdown drill. More information will be sent out prior to the scheduled date of the drill.
Our goal is to ensure that, in the event of a school violence or intruder incident, students and teachers have all the tools to react to the information they have available at that time. Please contact the High School if you have any questions or concerns.
Steffanie Seegmiller, Principal
Nathan Seal, Assistant Principal
Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School