What you see in the picture above is a familiar sight these days. Even at the small town, sh*tball schools that populate my area at least have a police presence at all times during the school day. Couple it with the stream of incidents and there’s a clear issue with safety at school.
Luckily we have principals like Priscella Holley at W.F. Burns Middle School to come up with crack ideas that will surely keep kids out of danger and ward off would-be attackers. Ideas like a collecting canned foods to hurl at attackers. From WRAL:
“We realize at first this may seem odd; however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off guard,” she wrote in the letter, published by TV station WHNT in Huntsville.
“The canned food item could stun the intruder or even knock him out until the police arrive,” Holley wrote. “The canned food item will give the students a sense of empowerment to protect themselves and will make them feel secure in case an intruder enters their classroom.”
Look, a can is going to hurt. There’s no doubt. I’ve had a few fall on my feet and some have been flung at my head during heated arguments. Not a fun time.
I just can’t get around it as a means of protection. Why isn’t there a cop at the school? How about keeping the baseball team on standby at all times? Paint them up like the baseball furies and put them work. It’s a little less silly than throwing cans of green beans at attackers.
Luckily it isn’t the only method of protection that students have. School officials are after some form of shooter training from law enforcement, teachers are taught to lock down the classrooms in the event of an incident, and then the cans come out once all else fails.
If the cans are not needed for security, they will be donated to a local food pantry at the end of the year, Holley told parents.
“We hope the canned food items will never be used or needed, but it is best to be prepared,” she wrote.
And there’s our silver lining. Also parents aren’t completely outraged at the idea, so that’s a benefit too. Gives them a chance to clean out those pantries.
(Via AP / WRAL)