ELDRIDGE, Iowa – An intruder at North Scott High School is just an administrator helping students prepare for the worst.
The high school has been performing an A.L.I.C.E drill the past six years to teach students what to do in the case of an active shooter. The term A.L.I.C.E stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate or run-hide-fight.
Jennifer Sambdman walks her sophomore honors English class through the steps before, but they’re still startled when they hear the alarm.
“I train my kids on how to lock the door, turn off the lights, get in the corner if they aren’t willing to fight,” Sambdman says.
Each time North Scott does a drill, they fine tune it. This time they add more communication over the intercoms, so teachers always know what’s happening.
“They are not aware of the scenario or the details,” says Aaron Schwartz North Scott Assistant Principal. “They will be expected to take the information that they are able to obtain and make an appropriate decision.”
Once they wait for the all clear, each class then talks about how the practice went.
“It’s important because it protects and saves a bunch of lives because when it’s happening everyone knows what they are supposed to do, not just the teachers,” says sophomore Elena Kook.
Before the drill even happened, students knew the time frame the drill was supposed to start, but not the exact time. This is all to help them prepare if a real intruder were present.
Administrators say the drill that took place is not related to the incident at the junior high school last month. They just want to practice like it’s the real thing.
