VOA慢速英语--美国学校考虑新的方法来对付枪手

US Schools Consider New Methods for Dealing¹ with Active Shooters

Americans are remembering students who died in recent weeks while trying to stop gunmen at two schools in the United States. Some people have praised the students for their actions, calling them heroic.

Their actions demonstrate growing public support for guiding students on what they can do, in some situations, to stop armed attackers. Experts say educators should offer teachers and students as many choices as possible for how to deal with an active shooter - including fighting back.

On April 30, a gunman opened fire at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The university sent students messages on their phones that read “Run, Hide, Fight.”

Riley Howell chose to fight. He lost his life trying to stop the shooter. The local police chief described the 21-year-old student as “the first and foremost² hero.” He said if Howell had not tackled⁴ the gunman, more students could have died. Along with Howell, one other student died in the attack.

Nine days later, Kendrick Castillo was killed trying to stop a gunman who had entered the STEM⁵ School Highlands Ranch⁶ in Colorado.

The school sits less than 15 kilometers from Columbine High School. That is where, 20 years ago, two gunmen killed 12 students and a teacher.

Like Howell, the 18-year-old Castillo was described as a hero whose actions helped save lives.

The STEM school uses a “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” method for dealing with active shooters. A school official would not say whether the school had ever suggested students fight back against an active shooter.

But student Brendan Bialy had thought about it on his own. And, on May 8, he joined Castillo in diving toward the gunman and taking the gun away. Bialy, who is also 18, survived the shooting.

The next day, he told reporters, “I don’t like the idea of running and hiding….Somebody like that, I’m going to fight them there.”

There always have been students willing to take action, notes Greg Crane. He founded a for-profit group called the ALICE Institute. The name ALICE is short for Alert⁷, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate⁸.

Crane says he created the institute in 2001 based on what had already been done by students who brought down shooters themselves.

Crane said many people have a “warrior mindset, a hero mindset.” He noted⁹ the importance of providing information and training so that, in Crane's words, “when they are the first one to stand up and start moving to do something, maybe they’re not alone.”

The institute’s training has been offered to educators from over 5,000 public school districts, Crane said. Often, police officers lead the training programs. Crane said the program does not teach ways of fighting back. Instead, it advises people to make noise, create disorder¹⁰ and confuse the attacker.

In the state of Maryland, Baltimore County Public Schools started offering ALICE this year.

If a shooter gets too close, students are told to find any object they can and throw it at the attacker. Students also should shout and make other loud noises. The idea is to create enough disorder to escape.

Young children are told not to make physical contact with the attacker. But teachers and older students have that choice, said George Roberts, the head of Baltimore County Public Schools.

Roberts said, “The adults are trained how to grab¹¹ the arms, grab the legs” and get control of the attacker until police arrive.

“This more active response provides a level of choice,” Roberts added.

Roberts was principal at Maryland’s Perry Hall High School in 2012, when a student brought a gun into the meal room and wounded another student.

Karen Shepard has several children and grandchildren. Their Athens, Pennsylvania, school district adopted ALICE training this year. Shepard says she wants the children to know not to gather in just one part of the classroom if a gunman enters the room.

“They should barricade¹², they should have something in their hands,” Shepard said. “At least they’d have a fighting chance.”

It is not an easy discussion to have with students at any age, said Joseph Eradi. He was school superintendent¹³ in Newtown, Connecticut, after a gunman killed 26 people at an elementary school there.

Eradi said, ‘What we’ve learned over time is to provide staff and students with as many options as possible in the moment.”

He added, “You never want to take that common sense element out.”

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

tackle³ - v. to forcefully seize (someone) and cause that person to fall to the ground

alert - adj. able to think clearly and to notice things

lock - v. to fasten the door, lid, etc., of (something) with a lock

counter - v. to do something in defense¹⁴ or in response to something — often + with

evacuate - v. to remove (someone) from a dangerous place

confuse - v. to make (someone) uncertain or unable to understand something

grab - v. to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms

principal - n. the person in charge of a public school

barricade - v. to block (something) so that people or things cannot enter or leave

option - n. the opportunity or ability to choose something or to choose between two or more things

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 foremost   

adj.最初的，最前的，第一流的；adv.在最前

参考例句：

• He is considered the foremost British artist of this century.他被认为是本世纪英国第一流的艺术家。
• The premier occupies the foremost place in the world of politics.首相是政界的首要人物。

3 tackle   

n.工具，复滑车，扭倒；v.处理，抓住

参考例句：

• Don't forget to bring your sports tackle with you tomorrow.别忘了明天带上你的体育用具。
• We have gained sufficient experience to tackle this problem.我们已经有了足够的经验来处理这个问题。

4 tackled   

解决( tackle的过去式和过去分词 )； 应付； 与某人交涉； 向某人提起（问题或困难情况）

参考例句：

• The robber tried to run away but a man tackled him. 强盗企图逃跑，但一个人把他抓住了。
• The policeman tackled the thief. 警察捕捉小偷。

5 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

6 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

7 alert   

adj.机警的，活泼的，机灵的；vt.使...警觉

参考例句：

• Drivers must be on the alert for traffic signals.驾驶员必须密切注意交通信号。
• The rabbIt'seems to be very alert all its life.兔子似乎一生都小心翼翼，十分警觉。

8 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

11 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

12 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

13 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。