For decades, the emergency response procedures taught in schools have remained the same. But now, in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, many administrators are pushing to change practices that seem increasingly outdated. The traditional lockdown emergency response has come under scrutiny – and some districts are considering a controversial alternative known as ALICE. 

The acronym stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate,” and it’s the “counter” component that is making some parents and educators uncomfortable.

“Back when the H bomb was invented they said hide under your desk,” says Officer John Gagnon. “Really, it took us until 2012 to figure this out? That hiding under the desk isn’t going to work?"

http://video.wgbh.org/video/2324258630/

Gagnon is the school resource officer in the small town of Hopedale – near Milford.  At his urging, the district adopted the ALICE response plan – which builds on the traditional lockdown.

“[The ALICE program is] not just sit and wait for what could be hours if there was a real situation going on there,” Gagnon explained.  “They’re informing the students and the teachers what is going on.”

In addition to alerting authorities and going into lockdown mode, the ALICE program provides real-time information about a threat and encourages students to use that information to safely evacuate.  In September, students at the Hopedale Junior-Senior High School became the first in the state to undergo ALICE training. Officer Gagnon simulated an intruder using an air-horn, while Principal Derek Atherton monitored his whereabouts and informed the school over the PA.

"First we hid in the corner,” said Hopedale senior Kiara Lum. “[We] turned off the lights like a regular lockdown and then when we thought it was safe to do so, we left building the opposite way from where we heard the sound.” 

Not everyone responded the same way. Two classrooms chose to stay put. 

“And [those students] said, we felt safe where we were, we knew what was going on, we knew where the intruder was and where their movements were and we felt safe just to stay,” Gagnon said.

Hopedale students have not been trained in the controversial “counter” part of ALICE.  School officials have expressed concerns about that element, which – as this demo video on ALICE shows – encourages students to confront an assailant as a last resort.

Many parents expressed the same misgivings were at a recent school committee meeting in Canton. Canton is reviewing it's lockdown procedures and considering training students in the ALICE program.

"I just think we really need to understand that it doesn't matter how big you are," said Canton parent Susan Hegland. "If someone has a gun, and you rush them, you're going to get shot." 

ALICE supporters argue the “counter” element amounts to empowering students to follow their “fight or flight” instinct, rather than act as passive targets.  

"When contact is made with a determined killer, how have we conditioned our people to respond?" asks Greg Crane, ALICE founder and former SWAT officer. "And from the time they're six all the way up through college, they are conditioned to sit tight — be static, be passive, and wait for the police to come rescue you. And in too many cases, that's proven to be inadequate."

Despite disparate opinions towards the ALICE program, most people seem to agree that it’s time to re-think how we prepare for the unthinkable.