Active shooter training
A couple Prairie Catholic teachers evacuate the main floor of the school during an active intruder drill, which was part of ALICE training provided by the Prairie du Chien Police Department Friday. (Photos by Correne Martin)
Sgt. Kyle Teynor sporadically wandered the hallways of Prairie Catholic, blaring air horns and rattling door knobs to heighten the emotions of the staff participating in active shooter training last week.
Pictured is just one example of how staff barricaded a classroom door with close by furniture and other heavy objects.
By Correne Martin
Alert. Lock down. Inform. Counter. Evacuate.
These are the five strategic methods taught in ALICE active shooter civilian response training. The staff at Prairie Catholic School was the latest in the area to review and practice these methods, thanks to Prairie du Chien Police Sergeant Kyle Teynor and funding from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
On Friday, the staff spent several hours examining signs of violence, psychology of perpetrators and the environmental design of their specific classrooms and the school campus.
Are their rooms prepped for quick and easy ways to barricade their doors if doing so became necessary?
Will they fight, flee or freeze? How might they think on the fly, increasing the chance of survivability for themselves and their students?
These were the kinds of questions discussed.
Then, they participated in an active intruder scenario, where Teynor walked the halls, blaring air horns and rattling door knobs, as teachers and staff decided what to do and acted upon those decisions.
Via the school’s public address system, office administration alerted all who could hear the PA:
“Active intruder. Get out of building. By the front door. By the office.”
Some classroom occupants shoved bookshelves, tables, desks and other heavy objects in front of their doorways. They locked their doors. They dropped prepared rolls of paper across the small windows in their doors. All of these are ways Teynor said may deter an intruder.
“If he comes to the door and it’s barricaded, it’s too difficult a target, so he’ll move on,” Teynor said. “At Virginia Tech, a teacher was in front of the door, so the shooter went on. He did come back and shot the teacher, but there were a lot of students who got out the window in the meantime.”
When the sound of Teynor’s air horns moved to one side of the building, numerous teachers fled from and evacuated the building.
After just a few short minutes, the drill was over. It took much longer to convince all staff to come out of their rooms or back into the building for debriefing—that the drill was, in fact, over.
In talking about the scenario, everyone agreed that even though they weren’t hearing gun shots, such a real-life drill still made their blood pressure go up.
Staff was reminded to use the zigzag and move rule when fleeing, because it’s more difficult for a shooter to hit a moving target. They were educated to use noise, movement, distance and distractions to work against a shooter’s accuracy.
“Look, listen and feel. Future perpetrators are going to study other events. There’s no easy answer. Think about your response ahead. Be prepared,” Teynor said.
Prairie Catholic was the recipient of a $21,340 Department of Justice grant earlier this year. The funds allowed for some new interior door handles, a better PA system, additional safety improvements and this ALICE training.
Though Teynor and Principal Mary Henry agreed, there could always be more safety upgrades, he reminded the staff why the training was of great importance.
“If you change the little things, make one small step that gives you a better peace of mind, this was worth it,” he stated.
Now, the staff will go back to their classrooms and consider rearrangements that may better prepare their spaces for safety in the face of danger. They will continue discussions about safety upgrades and initiatives to bolster student mental wellness.
The school district as a whole also has a threat assessment team that meets at least four times a year, or more if necessary, to consider signs or threats of violence.
Sgt. Teynor has provided ALICE training for the public school as well as private businesses in Prairie du Chien.
