Chief has no plans to rush ALICE program

By Mike Berger

Police Chief Ken Berkowitz told the School Committee last week that the implementation of a new school safety protocol for violent intruders will be a collaborative effort between both parties and not a rushed one as he educates the public and the Canton school community about the ALICE program. The acronym stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.

Berkowitz and CHS School Resource Officer Chip Yeaton appeared before the School Committee last Thursday, December 6, to discuss the new program, which is being piloted in the Canton Public Schools and a handful of other districts throughout Massachusetts.

Created by former teacher and SWAT officer Greg Crane of Texas, ALICE is a resistance model that gives students and teachers more options in a crisis situation. The program utilizes environmental design technology, communication, and human action to improve one’s survival chances when faced with an immediate danger.

The current protocol, which has been used in school systems across the country, consists of an alert and lockdown procedure only. Students and staff have been instructed to lock their classrooms, turn off the lights, and hide in a far corner of the room while remaining quiet.

Yeaton, who also serves as president of the Massachusetts Juvenile Police Officers Association, has trained all of the staff at CHS and is in the process of training the staff at other schools, including Blue Hills Regional School. He said the program has been in the works for 10 years and is backed by research and statistics.

As a result of Thursday’s meeting, Berkowitz said full implementation will be slowed as he wants the School Committee and the community to understand all of the expanded protocols and what is being explained to students. Berkowitz said he will arrange for a full presentation of the program for School Committee members and parents after the holidays either at one of the Canton schools or at the police station.

Berkowitz, whose son is a freshman at CHS and whose wife, Holly, is a teacher at the Luce School, acknowledged that he has a vested interested in ensuring the program is the right one for Canton schools, the community at large, and for his police officers.

“The current plan is good, but it needs to be improved,” he said. “It would be irresponsible if we don’t. We want to make it safer for everyone involved.”

He said he is happy to answer every question and to hear varying opinions and is not under any deadline to implement the program. “We will move forward with your blessing,” he told committee members. “There is no sense in rushing it.”

“We are still learning all about it,” added Superintendent Jeff Granatino. “We really want everyone to feel comfortable about it.”

School Committee member Cindy Thomas said it was important for committee members and parents to understand what is being presented to students so that they can make informed decisions and properly explain the protocols to their children. Everyone agreed that a one-hour discussion at a School Committee meeting was not sufficient to fully understand the program.

Although recent news reports have focused on the “counter” component of ALICE — which teaches students and staff to be more proactive and to possibly use aggression in the event they are confronted by an armed intruder — Berkowitz and Yeaton focused more on the “inform” and “evacuate” components.

The program, for instance, gives school administrators more latitude to inform the school about an intruder’s actions and whereabouts through the PA system and gives staff more authority to have students exit the building if they know the intruder is located in another part of the building.

Berkowitz and Yeaton recalled incidents at Columbine and Virginia Tech where students were shot and killed while hiding under a desk or huddled in the corner of a classroom, library, or cafeteria. “People were dying who were lying on the floor,” said Berkowitz. “Eight kids died at Columbine who were killed in the library. They had time to get out.”

The counter component includes training in how to distract the intruder using objects in the classroom; how to control the individual using body weight; and how to properly barricade a door.

Berkowitz said students can opt out of the counter measures if they are uncomfortable with them. “For many of us, the natural reaction is to do something, either fight or flight,” he said. “And every situation has a different tactic; consider it one piece in a toolbox.”

Yeaton, in several staff presentations, stressed that the counter component should only be used as a last resort, such as when an armed intruder has breached a locked door and entered a classroom. The preferred option, he said, is to run when it is safe to do so.

Parent Laina Julier, who addressed the audience after the presentation, likened the ALICE training to the fire safety program that teaches students how to react in different situations. “Like fire safety, there is not one blanket solution,” she said, “but it allows us to look at all the pieces. I see it as something proactive for Canton.”

Another parent, Suzanne Hegland, said she has the utmost respect for the Canton Police but expressed concerns about some of the comments on Crane’s website, which she found to be inflammatory and restrictive. She also had reservations about the counter option and the image of students rushing toward a gunman with staplers or other objects.

Saran Titus, a guidance counselor at Blue Hills, praised Yeaton for his presentation and said the program is much safer than the present safety protocol.

In summation, Berkowitz said, “I don’t have all the answers, but I do want to hear your opinions. The fire drill analogy is an excellent one. I think this gives the students more control of their security.”

In other news:

* The committee gave the go ahead to Hansen Principal Peter Boucher and Hansen CAPT President Christine Giglio to raise funds outside the operating budget to build an age-appropriate playground area behind the Hansen for students in grades K-2. The area behind the school gym would incorporate a new playground, a blacktop area, and a field area all on one site. The price tag is nearly $60,000. Already an anonymous donor has agreed to triple whatever is raised, up to $45,000, and the Bank of Canton and the Rodman family have both committed $10,000. If the materials are ordered by the February school vacation, the manufacturer will deduct $4,000 in shipping costs. The goal is to have the playground constructed this spring. The project also needs the approval of the zoning board.

* The committee hopes to approve the cash and debt capital portions of the budget at its next meeting on Thursday, December 20. Cash capital requests from administrators have approached $1.5 million for a budget estimated at $443,000.

* Committee members discussed the possibility of working with selectmen on a town-wide strategy to repair the CHS tennis courts, which some say are approaching a safety hazard. In related news, CHS Athletic Director Danny Erickson has informed the committee that the turf field will need to be replaced in the near future at an estimated cost of $750,000.

* Committee member Robert Golledge, representing Canton on TEC (The Education Cooperative), said Canton is the only community in the cooperative that does not have students taking any online courses.

* In her update of school news, JFK Principal Kim Sefrino thanked the school custodians for a tremendous effort in getting the school ready for the opening of school amid the addition of new classrooms. She also highlighted some of the school’s new programs, including an early morning math skills program, a poetry breakfast, and a partnership with Orchard Cove residents and CHS students. Sefrino said the school has a “strong sense of community,” adding that she continually strives to create an environment that is academically challenging for students.

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