Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
D303 reports high completion rates for ALICE staff and student training, schedules drills with local law enforcement
Summary
District officials told the board the ALICE training rollout exceeded targets—over 90% staff completion and student training finished before winter break—and said enhanced lockdown drills with law enforcement will run through February.
District officials on Jan. 13 told the St. Charles CUSD 303 board that implementation of ALICE safety training is on or ahead of schedule and that coordinated drills with local law enforcement will occur this winter.
Dr. Christianson (presenting as part of the safety goal update) said the superintendent’s objective required 85% of staff to complete online ALICE training by the end of January; the district reported more than 90% completion, including classroom teachers, support staff, facilities, bus drivers and administrators. "Over 90% of all of D303 staff completed that online training prior to the end of September," the presentation said.
The district also reported student training had been completed for the 2024–25 school year before the winter break and that the final key result—annual enhanced lockdown drills and assessments with local law enforcement—is on track with drills scheduled from January through February. Jared Buckman (presenting) said buildings will participate in enhanced lockdown drills with law enforcement on-site to observe and provide feedback.
Administrators described ALICE as an options-based protocol—Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate—and said training emphasizes situational awareness and age-appropriate instruction. Officials emphasized the drills are not staged simulations of a violent incident; they are announced, age-appropriate exercises followed by reflection and discussion. Elementary lessons are tailored to three age bands (pre-K/K, grades 1–3, grades 4–5), while middle and high school lessons reflect older students’ maturity.
Presenters said the district used the opportunity to coordinate with municipal responders; some administrators participated in a larger multiagency exercise at Thompson, where law enforcement, fire and first responders practiced command-center coordination, communications and interagency response.
Board members asked about the potential trauma of drills. Administrators said drills are announced as drills, built up in the classroom, and include reflection and discussion to reduce distress.
The presentation was informational; no board action was taken at the meeting on ALICE.
