Good evening.

I am writing to inform the Millbury Public Schools Community about Physical Access Drills that happened at all three schools today. These drills happen sometimes during the school year. They are random and not announced. They help us check our procedures for badging systems. These systems check if people are allowed in the buildings. The drills also check the Alert Lockdown Inform Counter and Escape (A.L.I.C.E.) protocols. Staff and students have been taught these protocols.

The School Resource Officer (SRO) and/or School Administration choose trusted people. These people volunteer their time to walk through the hallways. Today, a Millbury Firefighter and MHS graduate volunteered. We appreciate their help.

The goal is for staff and students to know when someone does not have the required ID. Depending on where the person is seen, staff can take actions. These actions include: walking or guiding the person to the office for a visitor badge, calling the office by phone or radio, or doing both. For students, telling a staff member about the person is the first step in the A.L.I.C.E. plan. Today, in each school, I saw many good responses. Thank you to the staff and students for your actions.

The School Resource Officer (SRO) and the School Administration work together to plan this drill at each school. They watch carefully. The drill causes very little or no disruption to students. I am happy with how the staff and students in the district performed during the drill today. I especially want to thank a group of four students. They told a substitute teacher about a person walking around without an ID badge. The substitute teacher quickly told school officials about the suspicious activity. As always, we learn from these drills and improve our awareness of what is happening around us, which is an important part of this drill.

~ Officer Frank