Blog Archives

School safety post-Sandy Hook: Focus on “How?,” not on “Wow!”

Posted by on September 28, 2013

More than nine months have passed since the December 14, 2012, school shooting attack upon Sandy Hook Elementary School in the Newtown, Connecticut, school district where 20 children and 6 school staff members were left dead. The horrific nature of the attack upon our youngest and most vulnerable children — elementary students — served as […]

Do ALICE training tactics put students, teachers at risk?

Posted by on June 14, 2013

Questions about student and teacher safety continue to mount as some schools deploy questionable drill tactics in which children and teachers are instructed to throw things at, and to attack, armed gunmen. The tactics stem from the controversial “Counter” component of the A.L.I.C.E. Training program, which stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate. Questionable tactics stemming from A.L.I.C.E. training In recent months, […]

School safety lessons learned: From Cleveland to Newtown (Guest Post)

Posted by on March 24, 2013

Dr. Steve Sroka shares in the following guest article some straight-forward, realistic lessons learned from his more than 30 years working with school violence prevention and safety issues. School Safety Lessons Learned: From Cleveland to Newtown by Stephen Sroka I dealt with school violence before it was fashionable and funded. To me, any child killed […]

Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings: School safety reflections

Posted by on December 27, 2012

Bulletproof backpacks for students. Bulletproof vests for teachers. Arming teachers. Teaching children to attack armed intruders. These were among the many ideas bantered around in the news, online, and elsewhere across America in the days following the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The Today […]

Seasons Greetings from National School Safety and Security Services

Posted by on December 26, 2012

A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year greeting to our friends, family, and colleagues who follow the School Security Blog. This holiday season is one I will never forget for reasons both bad and good. On the bad side, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings dominated the week prior to Christmas. I spent […]

School police association rejects training students to attack armed intruders

Posted by on December 13, 2012

The national association representing school-based police officers does NOT endorse the idea of teaching students to throw objects and attack armed intruders, its executive director confirmed earlier today. The association also does NOT endorse the idea of teaching school-based police officers to teach students to throw objects and attack armed intruders. Mo Canady, Executive Director […]

Handcuffed student in police car shoots himself after school threat

Posted by on December 7, 2012

Deputies did not conduct a full search of a troubled Texas high school senior and missed a gun that he used to shoot himself police said on Thursday, according to Houston Chronicle newspaper article. The 17-year-old male student was in intensive care after officers performed a quick pat-down on Wednesday following concerns that the high school […]

Do schools, police mislead parents on ALICE training? Students attack armed gunmen

Posted by on November 13, 2012

Some schools and police are teaching students to attack armed gunmen. But are they soft-pedaling the program and misleading parents in the process? A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The “counter” component of teaching school students to throw objects at armed intruders and to physically attack them is being question by many experienced educators […]

School police expert: ALICE training is a safety, liability risk

Posted by on November 12, 2012

A veteran national expert on school-based police today called teaching school students to attack armed intruders a safety and liability risk for school boards and superintendents, as well as law enforcement agencies. “A.L.I.C.E. training should be a huge red flag for school and police administrators, especially in the liability arena. Both the legal staff and […]

Prevent mass shootings? Aurora theater, Sikh temple, & schools

Posted by on August 7, 2012

“Run. Hide. Fight.” That’s the Department of Homeland Security’s advice for staying safe during a shooting. “Buy a gun. Take self-defense classes. Teach kids to attack armed intruders in a school.” Those are some recommendations from others. Following recent mass shootings at an Aurora, Colorado, theater and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, the search for […]