In an emergency, a North Allegheny student’s best friend may be ALICE.

The North Allegheny School Board voted unanimously May 10 to beef up security procedures and safety training by using the ALICE Training program.

School board Vice President Marcie Crow is a middle school teacher in the Gateway School District, which utilizes ALICE Training. In her experience, she said, the program teaches students alternatives to emergency situations beyond the traditional lockdown drills.

“It teaches students different ways to respond to an emergency,” Crow said.

ALICE Training, which is offered by the Ohio-based security firm Navigate360, would create consistency and clarity of language across all schools kindergarden through 12, NA officials said. The training would not include stimulation drills.

The school district will work first to schedule ALICE Training with administration and then create a timeline of training for staff and students, according to Dan Stack, manager of security for the school district.

The school board voted May 10 to use the ALICE program, with staff training set to begin this summer and districtwide implementation beginning in the fall, beginning with monthly drills.

ALICE, an acronym for alert, inform, evacuate, lockdown and counter, will cost the district $17,489 annually for a 36-month term. The first year of the program will be paid for by a recent grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, according to Michele Dowell, NA assistant superintendent.

“With all the training we have been doing we have determined there is a need to enhance current protocols,” said Dowell.

The district’s safety and wellness team recommended ALICE after researching several emergency response programs.

One of the recommended features of ALICE was that it offers a developmentally appropriate program for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

ALICE provides specific lesson plans broken down for grades kindergarten through third, fourth through eighth, and ninth through 12. The program is customized to development, age, cognitive, behavioral, ability levels and for students with special considerations or needs, Dowell said.

Resources will be provided for students with special considerations, such as customizable design guides and “power cards” that helps students visualize steps to take.

ALICE also provides training for all staffing groups, including administration, teachers, nurses, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, coaches and others. It can be offered both online and in-person. The program is also accessible at any time, whether for a new hire throughout the year or as a refresher, Dowell said.

Dowell said teachers have been requesting more types of training in this area.

“Anyone who goes into education and you talk to, this is their biggest fear: of something happening,” Dowell said.

“They want to know what options they have and how to consider things and I think we need to listen to our teachers. We need to prepare them as best we can,” she said.

“They’re the ones who are going to be with the students,” Dowell said. “The number is one goal is to be safe.”

Dowell ALICE also addresses trauma-informed practices, which help recognize and manage traumatic behavior in students and gives educators tools as to what student behavior may be telling them and to find ways to better support the student, Dowell said.

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