The ALICE program:
This year the Mariemont City School District is instituting a program called ALICE that is instructing educators and children alike how to respond to a gun-wielding intruder into a school such as happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, 2012. The letters in ALICE stand for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Escape. The local police departments are coordinating the educational program that affords the staff and students additional options when dealing with a critical incident.
The one piece of the program that seems most controversial is the ‘Counter’ part that instructs personnel and students to attack the intruder with whatever means they have at hand.
The program is new and no data exists yet to prove its efficacy. Every violent intruder and incident is different, but I personally think that a program like ALICE is better than arming the staff.
Those of you that are parents with children in the school system; what are your thoughts?