CCSD staff participated in the ALICE safety exercise on
October 12th while students enjoyed the Columbus Day holiday. Coordinated
with Cambria County EMS and SERT Team, the training provided an opportunity for
school and community officials to work together as they enhanced school safety
plans for the district. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and
Evacuate. Each strategy provides additional opportunities for staff and
students to address a potential threat by taking a more active role in the
situation than merely locking down and waiting to be rescued. The day began
with an overview of recent events around the country involving active shooters,
the components of the ALICE program, and the similarities and differences from
our current school plans for encountering an intruder. Following the
morning presentation, staff members were divided into classrooms and
participated in a series of scenarios where they applied the recently learned
strategies to minimize the destructive intent of the intruder. This
training provided the opportunity to bring hands-on experience to the on-going
discussions on how to keep our school community safe. Teachers continued the
discussion with students as they returned to the classrooms in an effort to
foster a safe environment for all.
