In the wake of school shootings across the U.S., middle and high school students in Albuquerque are learning protocols for dealing with intruders who intend to do harm.
Officials at public schools in the city are showing students and staff members videos about what to do if there is a serious threat such as an active shooter, according to KRQE.
"We all want to see you strive and to do that we have to keep you safe in a world that can be scary and unkind," Scott Elder, superintendent for Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), told KRQE. "It pains me to be at a point where we have to talk about protecting ourselves from bad people from coming into our schools, but it would be irresponsible anymore not to have these difficult conversations."
The video presentation is part of a broader training program called Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (ALICE), KRQE reported. The program began in 2000 and is "a widely adopted, effective method of active shooter response training," according to the ALICE website. Its mission is to improve the chances of survival during an active shooter attack.
"We want all Americans to have the knowledge and skills to survive when shots are fired," the website said. "We can achieve this by training as many people as possible and implementing training in drill form across all organizations."
School district officials hope that parents and students will gain reassurance when students learn the proper protocols for active shooter situations.
"ALICE is proactive, meaning you do something, not nothing – don’t lock down, hide, and wait," Lt. Steven Marez of the APS police told KRQE. "Don't wait for permission to take action; the bottom line is you do what you need to do to keep yourself and others alive.
"If you're old enough and comfortable doing this, take actions that put you in control. This could mean screaming, running around in circles, moving around, spreading out, throwing objects at the intruder, or rushing them as a group."
Some parents are concerned about the last recommended protocol, according to KRQE. Elementary school students will not be shown the videos. Teachers will read a book on the topic to them. Parents will be notified before the book is read to students, so they will have the opportunity to deny permission for their children.