With recent crisis events involving schools and threats to our national security, student safety remains to be a priority at Kenston.  Our district works collaboratively with the Bainbridge Police Department on a regular basis.  Safety procedures have always been in place for staff and students regarding all emergency situations in our schools.  

Over the past two months, the school district enhanced these procedures as all employees were trained in a program titled ALiCE. ALiCE is an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Traditional lockdown procedures directed staff and students to take shelter in classrooms or offices. Students were placed in an area of the room away from doorways, with lights off and doors locked. The latest research indicates that traditional lockdown procedures may not be the best means for our staff and students to follow. Therefore ALiCE was created to create a safer environment by providing proactive options.  

ALiCE was designed by law enforcement professionals from Texas and is now nationally recognized throughout the United States.   ALiCE has been implemented in over sixty school districts in the state of Ohio including neighboring districts of Aurora, Chagrin Falls, Kent, Orange, Streetsboro and Twinsburg. The program also has been mandated by the majority of Ohio's colleges and universities.

ALiCE teaches people of all ages transitional life skills that can be applied in any public setting, not just schools.   These skills can be applied to churches, movie theaters, stores and restaurants. For years, students have been taught basic safety skills through Safety Town, Stranger Danger and D.A.R.E. The ALiCE program will be added to this list as staff and students will continue to practice lockdowns each year similar to fire and tornado drills.

On May 7,  members of the district's safety/security team and Bainbridge Police Officers will be visiting each classroom to review components of the ALiCE program. As always, parents serve as a child's first teacher and it is important to have open communication with your son or daughter regarding these topics.  

I hope our school district never has to face any type of crisis situation but we must learn how to prepare and respond appropriately if they do occur.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or issues regarding safety and security for Kenston Schools.

Sincerely,

Patricia Brockway

Principal

Adam Fender

Assistant Principal

Tom Gabram

Associate Principal, Kenston High School

Safety and Security Director, Kenston Local Schools