Austintown schools undergo active shooter training

Schools personnel undergo active-shooter training

By Justin Wier

jwier@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

The Austintown Police Department conducted ALICE training at each of the four township schools Friday to prepare teachers and staff for an active-shooter situation.

ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.

At Austintown Intermediate School in the afternoon, Patrolman Allen Phillips roamed the halls for more than six minutes, firing blanks while 80 staff members either fled the building or sheltered in place.

It was a teacher in-service day, so students were not present during drills.

Danyelle Henin, a fifth-grade teacher, said the training was helpful, but it’s different without the students. “It’s always nerve-wracking because you’re trying to figure out what to do with 25 students attached to you,” she said.

Once Austintown Police Lt. Tom Collins sounded the air horn that signaled the start of the drill, most teachers on the first floor quickly sprinted out the doors.

“I’ve never seen such a mass exodus in my life,” Collins said.

Collins said school shootings nationwide have increased lately, and while it’s unlikely to happen in Austintown, police and school officials want to be prepared.

“If we don’t prepare for it, we’re preparing to fail,” Collins said.

This is the first semi-live drill they’ve done at the Austintown schools. In the past they’ve had information sessions.

Officer Keith Smith said live drills are helpful because people get a better idea of how they would react.

Most people’s initial response is shock and disbelief. He hopes that with training they can move past that.

The drill went well, Phillips said. Only a few teachers would have found themselves in danger.

State law requires all schools undergo some form of safety training each year. In the future Collins said he would like to do bigger drills in the Austintown schools.

Jeff Swavel, principal, said the drills are good in getting teachers to think outside of the box.

“Teachers are 100 percent rule followers – they want to be told where to go and what to do,” he said.

In an active-shooter situation, there’s not always a script to follow.

With an officer present in each school at all times, however, Collins said the schools are protected, and their response time is much better than the national average of four minutes.