The purpose of ALICE training is to supply a plan detailing how to act effectively in the case of an armed intruder threat. “Lockdown” is the traditional procedures schools use in such situations; the school building and classrooms are locked and the students and teachers take shelter in their classrooms. ALICE provides additional options, such as safe evacuation, and helps spread critical information in a time of crisis. Although not all schools specifically use the ALICE system, many implement a process based on it.

On Sept. 14, a two hour lockdown was prompted at Davenport West High School and Wilson Elementary School. A man in possession of a rifle in a nearby neighborhood was reported, and he later attempted to flee from officers.

The state of Iowa requires schools to perform at least 4 fire drills per year. Interestingly enough, there is no regulation for lockdown safety drills. Pleasant Valley is taking precautions to prepare its students to know how to act if an active shooter threat took place. On Sept. 19, the high school students took part in a live ALICE training drill. Students and stuff were informed on what time the drill would occur but not the location of entry of the shooter. An administrator and Scott Country Sheriff pretended to be the shooter and an airhorn was used to simulate a gunshot. The goal of this drill was to provide a more realistic situation, as well as get as many students to escape the building as possible without seeing the intruder. This drill helped create a scenario in which people in the building had to make an instrumental decision regarding whether evacuation or lockdown was the most sensible option.

Deputy Chad Weipert, Pleasant Valley High School Resource Officer, was pleased with how the ALICE drill went. “The students and staff took the drill seriously and many made the appropriate decisions and took the right steps to stay safe it it was an actual emergency.”

“The biggest recommendation I have is to just be aware of your surroundings. We as staff need you guys to step up and let us know if something is going on. The security of the building takes a community effort and we could not do it without you,” says Weipert.