Empowering Our Staff and Students to Be Proactive in School Safety

359

Antioch CCSD 34 values the safety and security of all staff and students, therefore our district utilizes the principles of ALICE methodologies to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a violent critical incident. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate – the ALICE approach is an alternative approach to a passive lockdown method. It empowers individuals to make critical decisions during a crisis.

Over the past four years, Antioch District 34 employees have taken the ALICE Basic Certification eLearning course and completed hands-on ALICE training. We are proud to have fourteen certified ALICE Trainers across the D34 district (Tammy Johnson, Holly Kaprosy, Brad Rudd, Tina Bryk, Amy Pieniazkiewicz-Grude, Mary Marturano, Vasiliki Frake, Susan Harkins, Maria Treto-French, Andrea Meyer, Stephanie Siemens, Melissa Orozco, Ginny Smith, Mary Holsinger.)

This school year, we introduced each strategy to students using developmentally appropriate resources. Additionally, all drills are communicated ahead of time and NEVER include any sort of look-alike weapon or active simulation. Instead, training consists of scenario-based practice and age-appropriate discussion regarding how to respond during a critical event. 

We also hosted our first Community Safety Information Night on October 3rd at Antioch Upper Grade School! At our safety night, we presented the District’s Safety Plan, ALICE Training information, and offered breakout sessions on the following topics: Trauma, Bullying, Safety in Our Community, Cybersecurity, and Vaping. 

Presenters included our local emergency response teams including Officer Garcia from the Antioch Police Department, Detective Gomez from the Lake Villa Police Department, and Antioch Fire Department Fire Marshall Gibson who all took time out of their day to meet with our parents and talk about important safety issues in our community, in the homes of our students and their families, and answer questions about how they work with the schools. The Lake County Community Youth Network presented useful data and strategies for families who have children who have experienced trauma or bullying. Carol Gudbrandsen from the Cyber Crimes department of the Lake County State’s Attorney Office talked to families about cybercrime, cyberbullying, cyber predators, and what families can do to help protect their children. Andy Duran from Linking Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD) addressed the major concern of vaping in schools and warning signs for parents and tips for handling children who are vaping. 

Working to make our schools safe is an ongoing process that we continue to prioritize.

Sincerely,
Aron Borowiak 
Superintendent