This Safety Drill is different than the rest. This drill uses different classroom procedures for students in the event of an active threat on campus. The district, as well, as the nation, has mandated a specific protocol to use during this drill. It is called the A.L.I.C.E. Protocol.  

• Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (ALICE)

The Marion County School District has implemented the Alice Protocol in the event of an active shooting. The ALICE Protocol is a multiple options-based response, which creates distance from the shooting event and/or the amount of time you can create to keep an intruder away until Law Enforcement arrives. Providing a safe and secure environment for our students to learn is the top priority of the Marion County School Board. Measures have been taken to ensure our staff and students are prepared in the event a crisis situation occurs in one of our schools. A comprehensive Crisis Management Plan has been created to guide our staff through a wide variety of situations. 

The students have watched a reading of the book, "I'm Not Scared, I'm Prepared! Because I know about A.L.I.C.E." and discussed MSA classroom procedures for this drill.

The link to the book is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdNAl0ADUuk

Also, to learn more about the A.L.I.C.E. Protocol, click on this link: https://www.alicetraining.com/

Fire drills, tornado drills, code red and code yellow drills are practiced at each site to ensure that routines and safety procedures are well established and familiar to all.

In a code yellow, all school doors will be locked and regular classroom instruction continues behind the locked doors.

In a code red, all school doors are locked and all students and staff are advised to get on the floor away from doors and windows. Classroom instruction is discontinued.

What parents need to know during either a code red or code yellow crisis:

1. Please DO expect to be notified with a special parent advisory sent home from the school and/or with a telephone message from our telephone notification service when the school is able to provide accurate information and/or the incident is resolved.

2. Please DO cooperate with school and/or district directives.

3. Please DO consult local media for regular updates about the incident. Listen for information updates on local radio and television stations. You may be directed to an off-campus parent staging area for the latest information regarding a campus crisis.

4. Please DO NOT call the school because phone lines will be needed for emergency communication.

5. Please DO NOT call or text your child’s cell phone because cell phones are not to be used during a code red or code yellow.

6. Please DO NOT go to the school if a code red or code yellow situation should occur. Roads are closed, doors are locked and campuses are off-limits to anyone other than authorized personnel. Pursuant to § 120.54 Fla. Stat., in the event of an emergency, the Superintendent or the School Board can enact additional rules governing student conduct which shall be enforced as included in this Code of Student Conduct.

STUDENT AND FAMILY REUNIFICATION PLAN

In case of a school emergency or a natural disaster, you need to be aware of our school’s plan for releasing your child. First and foremost, remain calm. Remember, it is our primary concern that students remain safe at all times, and there is a plan for an orderly dismissal and release of our students. When you learn that your child’s school is in a lockdown situation, or any other emergency situation, do not call the school and do not come to the school. Staff will be very busy during an emergency and will not be able to attend to the safety of your children if they have to answer your phone calls. If you come to the school during an emergency, in all likelihood you will not be allowed into the school or even into the inner perimeter set up by emergency responders. The presence of hundreds of parents showing up on the scene will hinder the efforts of emergency responders which in turn may jeopardize the safety of your child. Instead, if the situation warrants the release of students, direct notification to your listed emergency contact numbers as well as the use of local news media will provide instructions on when and where the release will take place. Students may be bussed to an off-site location for their release to parents.

Once an all-clear is given at the school, and if there is a need to release students for the day, the Student and Family Reunification Plan will be put into place. For the safety of every child, we must document to whom each child is released. Students will only be released to a parent or childcare personnel as designated on your child’s school Emergency and Medical Information Form.

When you arrive at the facility where students will be released, proceed to the Check–In Gate and plan to do the following:

1. Fill out a Student Release Form 15

2. Present picture identification

3. Move to the Student Release Gate and wait for your child

4. A runner will go to the Assembly Area, get your child, and bring him/her to the release area

5. Be prepared to show your ID again

6. Sign for the student and depart

REMINDER: Your child will be released only to those listed on the Emergency and Medical Information Form. It is therefore imperative that you keep information on your child’s Emergency and Medical Information Form up to date. Know also that for any reason your child is not picked up, he/she will be placed in an alternate place of safety. These procedures should be shared with everyone you list on the Emergency and Medical Information Form so they are familiar with our plan and these concerns. If you have any questions about the Student and Family Reunification Plan, contact your child’s school principal.