Perry Elementary hosting ALICE drill Wednesday

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Students leave the front of the Perry Elementary School after the first day of classes last year. Co-Principal Ned Menke reported the PBIS program was greatly reducing discipline problems at the school.

The Perry Elementary School will perform something Wednesday morning all involved hope will never have to be put into action: an ALICE drill.

ALICE, or “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate” is a new approach to school security, in particular a pattern or system to follow in the event of an active intruder or worse, an active shooter loose on campus.

Perry school officials attended ALICE training Jan. 21-22 in Van Meter, with Perry Senior High Assistant Principal Gary Czerniakowski addressing the Perry Community School District Board of Education at their February meeting about what had been learned at the seminars.

“We discovered that an ‘active shooter’ situation lasts, on average, from seven to eight minutes, but that the earliest arrival time for police can be up to five or six minutes after the shooting may have started,” Czerniakowski said at the time. “And that is if someone remembers to call 911.”

“You may think that is obvious, but we role-played a scenario and everyone was so concerned about what they needed to do that they just assumed someone else had called 911, and after five or six minutes we realized no one had even called,” he added. “That is the first thing: alert the authorities.”

ALICE is meant to be a flexible response, as scenarios will differ as will the ability and means of reacting. As an example, an incident at the elementary level would likely result in difficulties securing or barricading rooms.

“The system is not linear,” Czerniakowski said in February. “It is not do ‘A’ then ‘B’ because of all the variables, but it gives you a guideline, and it helps in knowing what everyone else will be doing.”

An outline of the program defines possible reactions by school officials should it become necessary:

  • Alert: This would include alerting the authorities, as well as the entire building through the P.A. system.
  • Lockdown: The idea behind lockdown is to create as much of a hindrance and delay for the shooter as possible. “Our doors open inward, so it would mean locking and barricading doors, but they staying clear,” Czerniakowski said. “Some rooms, like the science lab, have outside doors. If possible, you should immediately evacuate, and in some instances, if it means you have to break out a window to get away, do so.”
  • Inform: The goal is provide real-time information in plain language. “We used to use a code, like saying ‘Teachers, please use your red folders’ but that idea has been rejected,” Czerniakowski said. “Now the idea is just to tell everyone immediately what is happening, and it may have the added benefit of confusing or misdirecting the shooter. We want to get the word out as soon as possible, including getting as much accurate information as we can to the public and to the media as quickly as possible.”
  • Counter: The point of counter is to delay and distract the perpetrator. Examples would be barricading doors or creating distractions. “We found out that if a shooter breaks into room or a crowded hallway and people just stand there or turn to run they tend to be shot,” Czerniakowski said. “Obviously you want to get away if you can, but if you cannot, then throw a book or your phone or do something” so that you are not a passive target.
  • Evacuate: If at all possible, the goal is to clear the building quickly. All those who flee are then to run quickly to a common “rally point” where headcounts can be taken. Even if different routes have to be taken, all should proceed to their designated spot. The High School and Middle School are to rally near Stokely Lumber in the East Perry Plaza, while the Elementary School would rally at the McCreary Community Building.

Perry Elementary Co-Principal Joel Martin said his building would hold their first-ever school-wide ALICE drill at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

“We are not going to do this at full speed — just at 25 percent, or a quick walk,” Martin told ThePerryNews.com. “Some students will rally at the McCreary Community Building, some will proceed toward the (Carris) funeral home and some will head toward the gazebo in Wiese Park, depending upon what part of the building they are in.”

Martin said the school has been in contact with authorities and all possibly affected businesses to inform them ahead of time and have received “nothing but a positive and helpful response.”

Perry Elementary School students will be evacuated to one of three pre-designated areas during an ALICE drill Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Perry Elementary School students will be evacuated to one of three pre-designated areas during an ALICE drill Wednesday at 9 a.m.

“We want the public, and particularly our neighbors, to be informed as well,” he added. “We want everyone to know what we are doing, when we will be doing it, and why. We do not want to cause any panic if they suddenly see the entire school emptying out and the kids being guided away from the building.”

Martin said the staff has been fully briefed and that students have been told what to expect and have done some small training in preparation for the drill.

“Obviously we don’t want to upset any of the children, and I don’t expect we will,” he said. “They will know what is coming, but we have also stressed to them, according to their age and ability to understand, that this is not recess, that it is serious and something they need to know how to do.”

“I’m sure there will be some hiccups, but we need to know how to handle ALICE and will certainly be studying all aspects of it to see where or how we can be more efficient,” Martin concluded. “Like everyone else, I want us to be able to do it well while praying the need of putting it to use never happens.”

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