Safety at Pleasant Valley: Shootings

Since the recent Florida school shooting, students have taken action to voice their opinions. In response to these student-organized walkouts and protests, many schools feel the need to address school safety. Ever since the first school shooting in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado, schools have adjusted their approach as to how to handle intruders. Specifically, PVHS has taken on the ALICE system. “We take the lead from law enforcement,” Darren Ericksen, high school administrator said.

The purpose of the ALICE Training Institute is provide preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Whether the attack be by one individual or an international organization, ALICE intends to teach response tactics to organizations in violent situations. As opposed to the traditional lockdown approach, ALICE teaches a step by step process to examine the situation and evaluate the best decision in those circumstances.

PV Community School District spent several years training staff on the new system before bringing it to students. “It’s scary and it’s sad that it’s gotten to the point where we have to do active shooter drills,” Ericksen stated. “We have to prepare students for what could happen and minimize any damage that could happen.” Schools’ reactions to school shooters used to be to hide and lock doors. “They became passive victims,” Ericksen said.

Research and studies show not to be passive and instead to react in a defensive manner to create a distractive line of sight for the intruder. This gives the victim a better chance at survival and an opportunity to getting away. “Doing something is better than doing nothing,” Ericksen said.

The administration intends to provide a safe environment for students to learn, and also takes precautions to prevent and avoid violent encounters. Business teacher, Danielle Davenport, is acting on the issue with an added layer of security.

“The most important thing we can do is prevention,” Ericksen said. After a school shooter attack, you often hear those impacted say, “We never saw it coming.” To avoid this situation, PVHS counselors try to check in on kids and offer in-school counseling. “If we see a kids acting differently, we call their parents to let them know and refer them to help for mental health,” Ericksen said. “It is important that schools stay vigilant.”

While these events can happen at any school, it is important that at Pleasant Valley, the administration and staff has taken enough precaution in case one of these events were to happen.