Neuqua Valley is implementing ALICE training this year, signalling a shift in school safety protocol. ALICE is an acronym for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate. The training is intended to prepare faculty and staff to react to intruders through options such as moving to a different location or engaging with a potential threat, rather than inciting a campus lockdown.

   The research to support the district-wide shift began in the safety and security committee over a year ago. They reviewed reports on previous safety incidents across the nation and concluded  that more options should be present in emergency situations. Previously, if there was a threat to student safety, the only option was to engage in an emergency lockdown. New protocol allows both teachers and administrators to assess the situation at hand and react.

   In June, administrators were trained to understand ALICE protocol. This measure was followed by activity-based teacher training on Friday, Aug. 23. There is currently no plan to train students in a similar fashion. The goal, instead, is to ensure that there are “leaders in every classroom,” says Dr. Robert McBride. “The training is really for staff so they can lead students.”

  Though students are not presently involved in the training process, they are a part of keeping Neuqua secure, “seeing something and saying something is still [Neuqua’s] best safety. If you see something don’t text it, don’t Snapchat it, don’t Instagram it, tell a trusted adult,” advises McBride.