A.L.I.C.E. will be on the lips of many school officials this year, but not because she’s the new kid in school.

A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Choice-Evacuate, a new school safety program adopted by tri-town schools last year. Previously, in the event of an intruder at the school, teachers were instructed to lockdown classrooms and stay put. The new policy is a more common sense approach that gives teachers and students the freedom to respond, react and even leave the building, if it seems safe.

“The whole idea is to make them think for themselves – to use whatever method to survive an incident, if it were to happen,” said School Resource Officer Matt McGraw, a member of the Mattapoisett Police force.

A focus of the program, which is being implemented around the country and is a direct response to school shootings, is to provide the people in the building with as much information as possible so they can make informed decisions.

For example, if a dangerous intruder comes into the front of the school, an administrator can use the intercom system to inform everyone of the person’s location. Those in the rear of the building could exit through a door or windows to get to safety.

Old Rochester Regional High School Assistant Principal Mike Parker is heading up the program’s implementation across the district.

“Right now everything is fully implemented in the high school and the junior high,” he said.

Teachers and students were given A.L.I.C.E. training last year, and newcomers will receive it this semester. Parents and the community were informed of the program last year.

“Everyone is very supportive of it,” Parker said. “It’s just a better system to keep people safe.”

He said some people were wary of the program at first.

“This isn’t just go ahead and attack a bad guy,” Parker said.

The students took in the new information well.

“They’re kids. They’re not really fazed by it,” he said.

Though it is a different school district, the Old Rochester administration extended training to Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester as well.

The assistant principal will also be integral in implementing A.L.I.C.E. at the elementary level in Mattapoisett, Rochester and Marion this year.

A few teachers will be certified in the program this fall. After the holidays, Parker, McGraw and his counterparts in Marion and Rochester will provide training for the elementary schools' staff and students.

At that level, “It will be more teacher driven. It’s more barricading, more safety and evacuating and less physical altercation,” said Parker.

The administration is also examining options for increased video surveillance at schools that would also allow police to access the feed in the event of an emergency.

Adding that level of technology will rest on the budget, but Parker said, “There are pieces in the works to upgrade all the camera systems in all the building."

In the meantime, a number of drills to practice A.L.I.C.E. will be scheduled for the junior high and high schools.

“The first one will be pretty simple then more involved scenarios,” Parker said. “Baby steps.”