ALICE FAQ

In the event a school needs to evacuate to an off-site location, you will receive information from the school or district through email and phone call via our School Messenger system, regarding the location and procedure for being reunified with your child.

Yes, but knowing what to expect and then dealing with the ALICE Training strategies are much different. Because each area will be making different choices, the shooter cannot predict what those under attack will do.

There is a difference, and it is not just semantics. ALICE Training does not teach fighting skills. Competing recommendations do emphasize skills and techniques that would be considered “fighting,” such as gun take-away, striking techniques, and pain compliance. “Fighting” skills take a lot of time and practice to become proficient and retain the skills.

According to the 2014 NYPD report on active shooters, 98% were carried out by a single attacker. Any shooters outside the building will be contacted and neutralized by police much quicker than a threat inside a building.

The more a plan is practiced and stakeholders are trained on the plan, the more effectively they will be able to act during an emergency to lessen the impact on life. We at Hamilton Heights make sure to include outside agencies in the plan. Exercises provide opportunities to practice with community partners (local emergency responders) as well as to identify gaps and weaknesses in the plan.

Notification will be sent out using all methods of school district communication, including an email, phone call, and text messages from School Messenger, website updates, media alerts, social media, and any other tactic that we have at our means. Families are encouraged to review their School Messenger email and phone number information to ensure that they are receiving school messages in the manner they desire. Please go to the HHSC website under the For Parents tab for instructions on updating School Messenger contacts and preferences.

In the event of a full evacuation, children would be transported to safe evacuation sites off of school grounds where they will be reunited with parents. Parents will be informed about these locations through direct communication.

Barricading helps by putting things in between you and the intruder. Whether it’s desks, file cabinets, etc., the more “stuff” that is in the way, and the more the intruder has to deal with to get to you, the more likely he will just move on to another room. Don’t forget, you can also lockdown by using a belt or other object on the door closer to help keep the door from opening, which provides another barrier to the intruder.

Certainly see if you and maybe another student or staff can quickly help them, then continue to run to a safe location. If the other student was unable to run with you, once you reach a point of safety, alert a first responder of where the hurt student is so they can go and assist.

Yes, they could; however, being passive and static has not shown to be an effective response in most active shooter events. The differences of tragic outcomes in the classrooms at Virginia Tech are a good example explaining the difference of passive and active and determining survival chances.

Law enforcement is on their way, but time is not on their side. We must learn to help ourselves before they arrive. Just as the fire department equips us with fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems, and EMS trains us in using AED for heart attacks, the law enforcement community is training us in our response.

No. Confronting a violent intruder should never be required in any non-law enforcement job description. How each staff member chooses to respond if directly confronted by a violent intruder is up to them.

School is still the safest place for children to be. However, just like practicing our monthly fire drills to ensure we know what to do in the case of a fire, we want to be sure that we will know what to do in the very unlikely event of an armed intruder in school.

ALICE training is teaching proactive, survival skills. Aggressiveness is a mindset that will assist a person in putting those skills to work.

It does not matter if the intruder hears the announcement of ALICE. They will still have no idea what everyone will do. The National ALICE Training organization tells us that it is distracting to the intruder to be hearing all of the announcements... and that is a very good thing.

We do host a parent night before our weekly ALICE drills. However, it is our recommendation that parents engage in age-appropriate conversation with their child or children following all safety drills. Should a parent have a specific question, please contact the building principal.

We want our children to be prepared for everything. Administrators, student services staff, and teachers will take the principles and tactics taught in the ALICE training and present the information in non-fearful, empowering ways. We will take into account childrens' developmental readiness to ensure that students feel safe and have opportunities to talk about their feelings and reactions. If you have individual concerns, we encourage you to reach out to building-level administration.

The same ALICE options apply if it is a gun or a knife. Evacuation is a great option if the intruder has a knife.

Evacuation is a very good option. Find the closest exit and run from the building as soon and as quickly as possible. Run until you can no longer see the building. When you reach a point of safety, flag down a first responder, call your parents or the police.

If the intruder comes in to the school during a time when students are moving around the school, whether at arrival/dismissal or during a passing period, the same ALICE options apply. If you can, run into a classroom and lockdown and barricade. If you can run out a nearby exit door, you can do that also.

There will be other “alerts” that will make you aware of what is going on in the building (the sound of gunshots, or other students evacuating the building). Take a look around to determine if iit is best to try to barricade yourself inside the restrooms or evacuate the building immediately.

Even if the shooter knew that we follow the ALICE protocol, the way the protocol is designed, with students and staff making on-the-spot decisions as to what option they will implement (lockdown, barricade, evacuate, counter), the armed intruder would have no idea in advance what everyone will do or where they will be. This protocol takes the advantage away from the armed intruder.

Hamilton Heights Elementary School: Ken Watson
Hamilton Heights Middle School: Corey Kiger
Hamilton Heights High School: Whitney Gray

There are many objects in the classroom that a teacher could use to throw at and distract the armed intruder (a desk, a chair, a computer, textbooks). These items are easily available and when thrown at the intruder will provide the distraction needed to provide a few moments for evacuation.

If there is not a teacher around and you can safely leave the building, you can do so. Keep running until you find a safe place.

We will have to wait until the police let us know when it's safe to return to the building. This may take a day or more until the police give us the all-clear. Please be patient and do not re-enter the school until we announce that it is time.

Your teacher may tell you to throw things at the intruder if the intruder comes into the classroom. You should follow the directions of your teacher or another adult in the room. Your teacher's instructions may be to distract the intruder, evacuate the room, or move items to create a barricade in front of the door.

Leave the building with your hands in the air so that the police know you are not the intruder. Do what officers tell you to do.

The police and school officials will work together to inform parents where and how to pick up students.

There may not be an announcement made or you may not be able to hear the announcement. You or your teacher may
hear other things that alert you to follow the safety plan.

Do what your teacher tells you to do. This may include moving furniture to barricade the door or throwing items at the intruder.

Law enforcement and other first responders will be arriving quickly to respond to the situation. It is important that they have the ability to reach the building as quickly as possible. Traffic leaving the school could slow down their approach.