One Alabama school principal wants students to have a way to fight back should an intruder enter the school. However, with a strict no gun policy in the school district, the principal is turning to canned food as a weapon of choice.
According to ABC News , W.F. Burns Middle School Principal Priscella Holley sent a note home with students on Friday requesting that canned goods be sent to school with each child. The letter detailed that the school’s “intruder policy” will remain the same with one major change, each child will be armed with a canned food product which they can throw at the intruder to “stun” or “knock out” until police arrive.
Principal Holley notes that “at first this may seem odd; however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off guard.”
“The canned food item could stun the intruder or even knock him out until the police arrive. 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.”
Principal Holley claims that this canned food procedure is being used in other “area schools” as well as across the United States. The program is called ALICE training. WHNT reports that the ALICE program teaches students to arm themselves with something like a can or a book. The ALICE acronym stands for: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The canned food attack would a method used in the “Counter” section.
Superintendent of Chambers County Schools Dr. Kelli Hodge said the idea is to ensure students “aren’t sitting ducks.”
“I can honestly say that the major point of the the training… is to be able to get kids evacuated and not be sitting ducks hiding under desks.”
The Department of Education has not made a formal stance on the ALICE training and says that it may be slightly controversial. However, the department acknowledges that students really just have three options: run, hide or fight. All of these options are acceptable and can be taught in schools.
“There are three basic options: run, hide, or fight. You can run away from the shooter, seek a secure place where you can hide and/or deny the shooter access, or incapacitate the shooter to survive and protect others from harm.”
What do you think of the idea of students attacking potential intruders with an arsenal of canned food items? Should all schools adopt a similar policy?
