How are schools in Northeast Wisconsin preparing to respond at a moment's notice?
A scary moment at a Manitowoc school Thursday involving an intruder has many asking the question tonight. No one was injured in that incident.
Police say schools, like malls, or movie theaters, need to have a plan in place to keep their students safe.
Those behind the planning say it's about more than just lockdown.
In the Oshkosh Area School District, Principal Jay Jones says, in the past, lockdowns have been a "one size fits all" situation.
Now, Jones says they've incorporated the A.L.I.C.E. response method.
"It's an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate," says Jones, also co-chair for the district's Emergency Preparedness Team.
It's a method Jones says every district employee is trained under, helping them determine whether a lockdown should include barricading doors, or evacuation.
"As an ultimate last resort, it might mean taking measure to counter the intruder," says Jones.
And while the goal is the same, each school's response is different.
"Our high school training and drilling might look different than our middle school," says Jones, adding that each school practices training methods that are catered to the student body's demographic.
De Pere Chief of Police Derek Beiderwieden says the training each district receives is often done side by side with police.
"There's not going to be just one police agency responding," says Beiderwieden. "So, everybody has been training on that."
We reached out to a dozen area school district leaders, including Green Bay's superintendent.
Those that we spoke with say they review their plan at least once a year through student and staff drills.
While there isn't a specific statewide safety program that all school districts follow, experts say A.L.I.C.E. training is growing in popularity.
