The letter detailed a new safety initiative in the schools
Cinnaminson Township Public School sent a letter to parents on Nov. 17 regarding safety in the schools.
“Unfortunately, over the past several years there has been an increase in school violence and school shootings. Looking at what has occurred in some schools and colleges, it is apparent that if an armed intruder wants to get into a school, there is a good chance that the person will probably succeed,” the letter reads. “Thus, it is imperative to continually train staff and students on procedures that can help them survive an active shooter in our schools.”
The letter goes on to say that the district has taken necessary steps regarding security in the buildings by working with the Cinnaminson Police Department, installing monitored school entry systems. The district also plans to add more cameras throughout the schools and on buses.
The letter acknowledged that while the school currently uses a “lockdown” method in the case of an intruder, this method is not always effective as a shooter often disregards a locked door.
To increase safety in the schools, one member of the Cinnaminson Police Department and one member of the Cinnaminson Fire Department were sent for training for a new procedure called A.L.I.C.E. After the training, the police department made a recommendation to the school district to adopt this producer to better prepare students and teachers if an armed intruder enters the building. The district accepted and will be teaching staff and students the A.L.I.C.E. system.
A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
The first step is to get the word out clearly and concisely by saying things such as, “Armed intruder is in the building.”
The lockdown step is doing exactly what the district was already doing — locking down students in a secure area and barricading the door.
The inform step involves communicating to keep the shooter off balance and allow for good decision-making. Countering is applying skills to district, confuse and gain control.
The final step, evacuate, is meant to reduce the number of potential targets for the shooter and thus reduce injuries and fatalities.
The district is not asking students or teachers to make any attempt to subdue an armed gunman outside of their secure area. However, the district is providing the knowledge and training that if faced with a life or death situation, students and teachers will be able to increase their chance of survival.
