Twinsburg Teachers To Receive ALICE School Security Training

Twinsburg teachers will receive new school security training on Friday, Superintendent Kathi Powers said Wednesday.

Powers said school security has been a priority during her tenure with the district, but the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. has led the district to re-evaluate how it approaches security, especially active-shooter situations.

So on Friday, Twinsburg Police's School Resource Officer Ron Fruscella will help teach district staff about ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lock Down, Inform, Counter and Evaluate.

Powers says that teachers and students are very familiar with lockdowns, and the ALICE training goes beyond that technique.

"What we have found in many serious situations in our country, and especially Sandy Hook, is that maybe lockdown is not the only or best thing we should do," Powers said.

The ALICE technique will allow principals and teachers to adapt their response based on where, for instance, an active shooter is located, allowing for orderly evacuation of students or any number of other options.

After Friday's training, Powers said Fruscella will attend the next school board meeting and provide a detailed briefing on the ALICE program. A parent meeting is also planned in April, as well as a program on public access cable.

"There’s nothing more important to any of us who work in the schools than the safety of our students," Powers said.