With a new threat policy that began on October 13th, A.L.I.C.E. training, and a debate over having a police officer in school, the Iowa City Community School District has circulated many ideas on how to keep students of all ages (K-12) safe at all times.

In October, a possible threat to West High from Snapchat was announced through ICCSD mass emails. The new ICCSD Threat Policy, released on October 13th, requires all threats, including minor ones, to be reported to the police and to parents. Being that there have been 262 school shootings since the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, the community is taking all threats seriously.

Before the 2015 school year started, City High teachers were led by the Iowa City Police Department in a full fledged A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Confront, Evacuate) safety drill. The teachers reviewed the principles of A.L.I.C.E. training, and how to respond in certain situations.

“It was really quite an experience to go through a training like this,” Principal John Bacon said.

A.L.I.C.E. training drills have been performed for several years, but this was the first year the Iowa City Police Department was brought into the school.

“It is something that we have done at the beginning of the school year, for the past few years,” Bacon. “I think it is very valuable to do this.”

During the training, police acted out several emergency situations where a simulated shooter was involved.

“I was really startled at how effective the training was,” Daphne Foreman, L.A. teacher said. “I think it was the fact that it was a simulation studies of learning show that simulation is one of the best ways to learn.”

Students are unsure that if having a resource officer stationed in City High would help or hurt the safety of the building.

“I don’t think students are uncomfortable to that point where they need to have an armed officer in the building,” Anna Roemerman ‘17 said.

Other students have feelings similar to Roemerman’s.

“I would feel uncomfortable with someone with weapons at our school,” Cassidy Slader-Scott ‘17 said.

Issues at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina, have brought up controversy about having resource officers in high schools.

In 2007-2008, 40% of schools nationwide had school resource officers stationed in them. (Law Enforcement Management and Administrations Statistics survey).

“One of the discussions of the community is about school resource officers in schools. There’s a lot of large high schools our size in the state of Iowa that do have that,” Bacon said.

The debate over having a resource officer stationed in the building is being looked into by the Iowa City Community School District.

“Our high school runs at a pretty high level day to day, but I do believe that our chances of an effective response are significantly higher
with an officer,” Bacon said.

Along with the possibility of the police being at City High for protection, is the process of phasing in different locking systems.

“Elementary schools have buzz in entrances, and they’re working their way up,” Bacon said. ”It obviously hasn’t happened yet at the high school level, and I don’t have a precise date, but different entrance systems are being explored.”

Since the school isn’t currently guarded by the ICPD or fancy locking systems, the safety of the student body is in the hands of teachers and authority figures in the building.
“I keep my eyes and ears open, and look for a way to protect my kids,” Foreman said.