In this country, school shootings have almost ceased to elicit surprise because of their commonality, and seldom result in measures that could prevent them from happening again. Every time our nation heals from one tragic incident, another occurs, reopening the same wounds. Despite efforts to move on, reassure ourselves, and implement preventative programs and trainings, school shootings continue to occur throughout the United States, including at Michigan State, the University of Virginia, and most recently, Nashville.
Since the Columbine massacre in 1999, there have been roughly 377 school shootings across America, with a little less than half of those shootings happening since 2018, according to statistics from The Washington Post. In the wake of this considerable uptick in school shootings in the past few years, including the March 27 Nashville school shooting which took six lives, students are understandably concerned about their own safety at school. As we watch these horrific events repeat themselves every news cycle, we inevitably wonder; what safety precautions does the school have in place in case of the unlikely scenario in which an armed intruder enters the school?
The answer is ALICE Training, which faculty and staff are required to complete. ALICE is an acronym which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. However, very few students know what ALICE stands for or are aware of its existence. According to The Vanguard’s recent survey (see Page 14: School Safety), roughly 84% of teachers are familiar with ALICE, but only an approximate 13% of students understand the procedure, and 87% of students say they do not understand the school’s safety procedures in case of a school security threat. While faculty are highly educated on school safety, the student body lacks the same information to aid them in case of a school shooting. The only way students might learn about ALICE is if we have stopped to read the finely-printed ALICE signs that hang throughout the school.
Only the faculty receive formal training on how to respond to an armed intruder. In addition to being required to learn ALICE, the school mandates that teachers take an online training course through Blue-U Defense, which simulates a schoolshooting scenario and asks teachers to make decisions based on different situations. Blue-U Defense also provides instructions for teachers in the case of a school shooting and explains an intruder’s mindset during an attack. This training likely contributes to the faculty’s higher awareness regarding the school’s safety precautions and procedures. So, how can students’ familiarity with school safety be brought in line with the faculty’s? The student body and The Vanguard support armed intruder drills as a solution. 66% of students specifically want drills to be put in place, as The Vanguard’s recent survey indicated, and 55% of the student body believe these drills would make them feel safer at school.
So, how can students’ familiarity with school safety be brought in line with the faculty’s? The student body and The Vanguard support armed intruder drills as a solution. 66% of students specifically want drills to be put in place, as The Vanguard’s recent survey indicated, and 55% of the student body believe these drills would make them feel safer at school.
Perhaps training for students doesn’t come in the form of the same comprehensive and intense Blue-U instruction the faculty receive. Instead, an occasional armed intruder drill, ALICE training, and more open discussions regarding the difficult— and impossible to ignore—topic would assuage, not intensify students’ fears. Like fire drills prepare students for a fire, they would prepare students in the event of an armed intruder. After all, the discomfort conversations about armed intruders could engender is incomparable to the feeling that one is largely unprepared for an armedintruder scenario. Everyone—students and faculty—should understand what to do in the case of a threat so that they may take the best course of action and possibly save lives.
