Hull, Iowa — Earlier this week the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and Western Christian High School performed a lock-down drill at Western Christian. According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, this drill is Phase 1 of the A.L.I.C.E. Training. A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert, Lock down, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.
Authorities say the purpose of this drill was for teachers and students to concentrate on the “L” or “lock‐down” portion of the training. The objective is to make each classroom as secure as possible, using everything at their disposal inside the classroom, so that no one is able to gain access to the room students are in.
School Resource Officer, Deputy Waylon Pollema credits Western Christian will being very proactive in their approach to school safety. Pollema says last year they held a student assembly about the A.L.I.C.E. training. Earlier this year, the teachers focused on talking more with the students about the A.L.I.C.E. options, according to Pollema. He says this week’s lock-down drill went very well, with all of the teachers and students doing an excellent job of making their rooms safe.
Western Christian Principal Dan Barkel said the technical assistance of the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, and Resource Officer Deputy Pollema assists Western greatly in making the school safer and more up-to-date on procedures to protect their students and staff.
Pollema says over the past several years, the Sheriff’s Office has been working with Sioux County schools to improve school safety. The goal of A.L.I.C.E. is to equip school staff with options in the event of a violent intruder situation. Pollema says these types of drills give teachers an idea of what they can do differently if they feel improvement is needed in their classrooms. He says these sessions will be ongoing between the Sheriff’s Office and participating schools to maintain a proactive approach in school safety.
