Our #1 priority at Mundelein High School is the safety of our students and staff. Due to this priority, we take many preventative steps to keep our building secure. In addition, we also practice our response should a crisis arise.
In order to be better prepared for an unwanted event, we adopted a new strategy for lockdown procedures known as the ALICE plan in 2018. ALICE is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. The philosophy of ALICE is to use technology and information in a way so that the staff and students can make informed decisions in a crisis, remove as many people as possible from the danger zone, and provide realistic training so that those involved in a crisis have a better chance of surviving.
The ALICE plan has been implemented by a core team of Mundelein High School Staff who are ALICE Certified Instructors. Last year, this core team provided ALICE training to teachers and support staff. Students were also introduced to the basics of ALICE through a presentation and verbal instruction last spring. We are now ready to take the next step of ALICE training with our students and staff.
The State of Illinois has mandated that no later than 90 days after the first day of each school year, schools must conduct at least one law enforcement drill that addresses an active threat or an active shooter within a school building. We will meet this mandate in the first week of October.
On October 1, our 9th-grade students will receive the same basic training that other students received last spring. This is necessary to get our 9th-grade students trained on our procedures. On October 3, Mundelein Police Department will participate with our MHS core team to conduct our first Active Threat/Active Shooter Drill using the ALICE plan. The drill will include an ALERT in the form of an announcement notifying everyone in the building of the danger or intruder. Some areas of the building will practice LOCKDOWN and discuss alternate exits from the classrooms, but will not physically exit their classroom during the drill. As the drill progresses, the core group of instructors will continue to INFORM faculty and students in the building of any danger as the threat may be on the move. Staff will discuss the COUNTER portion with students in classrooms. As the announcements continue, students will practice the ALICE option of EVACUATE if hallways and exits are safe.
I encourage you to discuss the drill with your student(s) both before and after the drills. These drills help our students and staff to be prepared should a crisis occur, but it may cause some students to have an emotional reaction. In those cases, your voice may provide reassurance of the drill’s importance. Additionally, we have trained social workers on staff who can speak directly with your child should he or she need additional support. While we would hope to have all students participate in the drill, feel free to contact your student’s counselor if you do not want them to participate.