By Jocelyn Cote
Graphic Designer
With the long-discussed ALICE drill upon us, Westford Academy is preparing for the simulation’s implementation this afternoon. As most WA students are aware of by now, ALICE is a new security strategy which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Unlike traditional lock down procedures, ALICE encourages choice in course of action in the event of an armed shooter entering the school.
However, a lingering concern amongst both students and teachers alike is the possibility for negative effects that can be brought on by a stressful experience such as an active shooter simulation. Combined with the fact that ALICE is a relatively new and unfamiliar concept to the whole building, tension has the potential to run high.
Detective Justin Agraz, WA’s student resource officer and collaborator on the ALICE program, recognizes the concerns as completely valid.
“We designed the simulation purposely to be a low-intensity situation. [I am] kind of a firm believer that you have to walk before you can run and crawl before that,” he said. “If you think about an intensity scale of 1 to 10, we said we wanted to start out at a 3.”
Even with regulations in place, it is inevitable that many people will feel stressed during the drill. According to Psychology teacher Sandra Whittemore, stress has various adverse effects on a person’s body, including weakening one’s immune system, decreased appetite, lack of sleep, stronger reactions to stressors than usual, hyperactivity, and in extreme cases may even shrink the hippocampus, the part of the brain which controls a person’s memory.
Psychological effects are another concern for some. However, most participants should be fine with the situation in the long run, and those with preexisting anxiety or other problems can sit out the simulation if they are worried about their reaction in a controlled but realistic simulation such as an ALICE drill.
“For the average kid, [psychological concerns] will be short-term. For kids who already have high stress from a whole slew of other environmental influences, it could take them a little longer. [...] I think after going through the drill, debriefing and talking about it, they’re going to come out of it better,” said Whittemore.
Control is an important part of the ALICE simulation – each student will work with their peers and teachers during the block, with ample time allowed for discussion within the room as they work together to answer “What if?” during each phase of the drill.
Whittemore is also pleased with the care that WA has put into keeping the simulation ethical and in accordance with American Psychological Association guidelines for experiments.
“The parents have been notified about this, all the training has been shared with the staff and students in terms of what they’re involved in, and [the fact that] there is an opt-out [makes the drill] in line with APA guidelines,” said Whittemore.
Indeed, all students have the ability to opt-out of the simulation at any time both before and during the ALICE drill, no questions asked.
Another individual at WA who has experience with the adolescent mind is Steve Cunha, the resident school psychologist. He also shares the opinion that the simulation may not be for everybody.
“Even though it’s a drill, and I think it’s important for people to experience it, [...] people are going to have to know what to do. [...] However, our special needs students here and some of our students who are more emotionally fragile might be a little disturbed if they are asked to throw something at someone or barricade the door; you’re a little taken aback,” he said, “Even though it’s a drill and everyone knows it’s a drill, [the simulation] is still a little disarming.”
However, Cunha believes that participating in the simulation is a valuable experience, and encourages students to take part if they are on the fence about it.
“My opinion is that students shouldn’t necessarily drop out. I think there are some special cases that we all know about here in guidance, but since we all know this is a drill, for this kind of training I think students should take part. You’re not going to know what something will be like until you’re actually there – that goes for anything. [...] It’s hard for anyone, especially teenagers, to put [themselves] in another situation; that being able to distance yourself from your own point of view. [...] It’s a good, logical step for if we do any other kind of drill,” said Cunha.
Although the chances of the school actually experiencing an active shooter intrusion are slim, the situation is unfortunately becoming more and more prominent in the past few decades. Nevertheless, Whittemore is confident in administration’s ability to handle and prevent danger with the school’s threat assessment team.
“Our school does a really good job at prevention. We haven’t only focused on response,” she said, “Threat assessment is a really important aspect of keeping our school safe, and we have our counselors, teachers, and trained individuals who are looking and very vigilant with kids who might be in crisis or could be involved in some kind of issue where it could lead to violence. [...] A school shooter could be anyone, and could happen anywhere. We have to accept our reality. We have to lose our innocence and say, ‘This could happen.’”
Although unsettling to think about, today’s ALICE simulation will in fact not be as intense as last year’s teacher simulation, as no stand-in shooter will be present and students will be given ample time to work with their peers during each phase of the drill. Following the drill’s completion, students will participate in grade-wide debrief sessions to reduce any remaining tension.
“[The goal] is to allow students and staff to practice the techniques that we’ve taught to see how effective they can be and to get a feeling for them ahead of time,” said Agraz. “Just like you wouldn’t take a test without looking at the material, we don’t want your first time using ALICE to be in a real-life situation. [We want students to] experience it with lower stress first.”