KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — An active shooter training program at Kalamazoo Public Schools is receiving some backlash from concerned parents, causing the training to be put on hold for the time being.
Last year former Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice explained that the entire staff would be put through ALICE training in the light of recent gun violence and school shootings throughout the country.
ALICE is an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter Evacuate. According to ALICE’s website, “Training instructor led classes 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.”
At their September 12th meeting KPS Board members brought up the ALICE training that will be conducted with students with Trustee Tandy Moore asking for more information on what will be shown and if parents will be able to opt their children out of the training. Not much information was provided at that public meeting but it was explained that it will not be an active drill, but more of a PowerPoint presentation.
Letters were sent out to homes Friday and Saturday explaining that the KPS district would be going through ALICE training, with some schools conducting the presentation on Wednesday. It explained that parents could call their school’s principal or the administration to opt out their child.
At Thursday night’s board meeting several parents voiced their frustration over the ALICE training, saying that students came home traumatized. Some parents said the program informed their children not to hide and in some scenarios it’s best to run around erratically and throw things at the intruder.
One parent said, “It breaks my heart that your teachers told my child not to hide…that he should be running around, because it’s harder to shoot them…”
ALICE slideshows were shown at the board meeting. It was explained that different presentations were shown to lower elementary, upper elementary, middle, and high school students to make the wording and definitions easier for each grade to understand.
One ALICE slideshow shown to kindergarten through 3rd grade students had statements like, “I will tell my principal if I see something dangerous…If you hear lockdown listen to your teacher and follow directions.” It asked questions like, “If I tell you to throw something at a dangerous person, should you do it?”
All the drills followed with a PA announcement saying, “This is a drill…lockdown, lockdown, lockdown…dangerous person on school grounds..this is a drill.”
Students then discussed how they would close all blinds and doors, select two items they could use to barricade the door, and barricade the door.
During the presentation Vice President Ken Greschak explained, “What this is trying to teach our students and staff is to assess the situation…it could be to hide, lockdown and hide, it could be to evacuate, or it could be to fight….if this ALICE training can save 1 life in the event something happens, I don’t know why we don’t do it…we are not the only district using this training.”
Interim Superintendent Gary Start explained, “If we did it over, I think a parent meeting is something we should do…we will do that before we do any more drills.”
Addressing the running erratically comment, Greschak added, “A trained professional shooter is effective about 30% of a time on a moving target…there is really nowhere to hide on an assault riffle…really our best bet is to be scattering.”
President Patti Sholler-Barber apologized multiple times and explained that Superintendent Start will follow through on providing parents with opportunities to get feedback from the ALICE training, provide more information, give statistics and data on ALICE, and how the program works among other information.
Trustee Tandy Moore made a motion to request the Superintendent to suspend all ALICE trainings for the time being until parent involvement and other details are provided. The motion passed.
