By Laura Katauskas | Staff Reporter
With school safety at the forefront for the nation, the Valley View School District is reviewing procedures and suggesting a change in accordance with national task force data.
VVSD Director of School Safety and Security Carter Larry recently informed the school board of an initiative to incorporate new safety procedures.
“The mass shooting at Columbine changed everything,” said Larry. “Prior to Columbine, no one truly understood what an active shooter was. There was no lockdown procedures established and law enforcement would wait for a S.W.A.T. team to respond.”
However, what most people do not realize, said Larry, is that for a long time the action of a lockdown, instituted in the 1970s, was put in place for drive-by shootings—essentially dealing with a shooter that remained on the outside.
“The problem is that lockdown drills were meant to safeguard against a shooter attacking from outside a school for a few seconds, not a gunman inside a school with a semi-automatic rifle for five minutes,” said Larry. “With every unfortunate mass shooting at a school, law enforcement and school officials have learned something. There is a need to deviate from the traditional lockdown procedure, and implement training that will maximize and increase student’s odds of survival.”
A recent task force now looks at enforcing different procedures like A.L.I.C.E, Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate or “Run, Hide, Fight.” According to Larry such multi-optioned training enables the public to respond based on their circumstances and allows for less casualties.
Currently there are four certified ALICE instructors to train the district. The cost for all instructors to become certified would total nealy $3,000. However, the Romeoville Police Department is looking to host a class, which would allow officers to attend free.
Larry said he was advising the board of the initiative now, stating that it is a lengthy process that will take strategy and proper implementation.
“This will not take place overnight–it is a daunting task, but we need to move in this direction,” said Larry.
He estimated the process could take up to two years to be put in place using best practices and committee help to enact.