LOCKDOWN

Used by most school districts nationwide when an armed intruder enters a school building or grounds, the lockdown protocol asks staff and students to:

u Sound a lockdown alert

u Lock classroom doors

u Turn out the lights

u Hide in a far corner of the classroom

u Remain calm and quiet inside the building and wait for help

u Not make independent decisions during the emergency

ALICE

Short for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate” and used in about 300 school districts nationwide for its “enhanced lockdown options,” ALICE:

u Authorizes staff and students to actively make decisions and take action to save their own lives as crisis unfolds

u Recommends locking down in a secure room if possible

u Trains students to barricade classroom doors with furniture

u Trains students to evacuate the building whenever feasible, including from windows

u Includes a controversial “counter” component that instructs students, if all else fails, to throw objects and confuse and even physically attack the shooter

SOURCES: Massachusetts Juvenile Police Officers’ Association; Response Options