October 2024
TO: BMS Students, Guardians, and Teachers
FR: Mr. Bingman
RE: Security Drill
Greetings,
The intent of this letter is to communicate the purpose and process of a security drill that is planned for Monday, November 4th. All schools in Pennsylvania are required to run an emergency drill within the first 90 days of school. These drills are different from our standard fire drills and simulate situations that could pose a threat to students. The purpose for any drill is to educate, not alarm, and all students will know in advance the specifics of the simulation.
The drill will be a verbal simulation that requires students and staff to implement the Bedford Area School District’s safety training known as ALICE. All of the students and staff at BMS have received this training and know that the acronym stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. At some point during the day, I will use the school public address system to inform everyone that we should immediately implement the ALICE process. I will then present the mock scenario and have teachers discuss with their classes the actions that would be taken in a real situation. There will be NO “fake intruder” or physical threat in the building. The purpose of the drill is to simply see how long it takes to lockdown the building and gives students an opportunity to discuss their decision-making process with their teachers. I expect the drill will last approximately 20 minutes and then the regular schedule will resume.
Hopefully this information will ease any anxiety that some adolescent students experience with these types of drills. In reality, the threat of harm to school students from outside sources is extremely low. However, it is wise and necessary to practice security procedures as part of our overall safety plan. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Bedford Middle School office at 623-4200.
Sincerely,
Shane Bingman
Principal