L-S Cancels ALICE Training In Wake Of Florida Shootings

SUDBURY, MA—In yet an all-too-familiar mass school shooting, 17 people lost their lives and many were injured when a former student opened fire at a high school in Parkland, FL.

When this happens, the fear is re-ignited throughout the country's schools. "Could it happen here?"

In the wake of the shooting, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School's authorities made the decision to cancel its ALICE training, which was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 15 for the school's 9th graders and anyone else who had not been previously trained.

ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training is preparation and planning for people and organizations on how to handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event.

Superintendent Bella Wong sent a message to the school community announced the cancelation of training, saying it is, "out of concern that proceeding with training on this day will trigger or exacerbate emotions of anxiety and fear especially now so soon after yesterday’s terrible occurrence."

Wong also wrote that there is a concern about heading into school break, a time in which easy access to counselors is not available. The drill will be re-scheduled for after break at a date to be announced.

"Our hearts ache for the families and friends who have lost precious young loved ones yesterday in Florida and over the weekend in Needham," wrote Wong.

Currently, Sudbury conducts an annual ALICE training for 9th graders and students who missed the prior trainings, and an annual review for all other students. The trainings are done in the classroom, guided by teachers who have been trained.

"This was a planned training for the high school only," Wong told Patch. "Given what happened yesterday in Florida some of our staff and students are in a heightened emotional state of sensitivity. Out of concern that doing the drill as scheduled would exacerbate these emotions we thought it best to re-schedule. It is an important drill and we want to be sure when we do it everyone is as focused as possible on the elements of the drill and are not otherwise distracted. So the reason for the delay was out of sensitivity to how staff or students may be feeling today and to ensure when we do the drill all participants are best prepared to receive the information."

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