SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Penn. – A widely discussed debate over the last several months has been whether or not teachers should be able to carry and have guns in their classrooms in case a shooter attacks the school. But one school district in Pennsylvania has decided to try a new tactic of their own.
The Blue Mountain school district in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, which has three elementary schools and one middle school and high school, has supplied each classroom with a five-gallon bucket of river stones for students and teachers to use to retaliate with in the event a shooter enters the school.
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"We always strive to find new ways to keep our students safe," Blue Mountain School District Superintendent David Helsel said in an interview with The Associated Press. He also added that throwing small rocks is just one small part of the district's security plan.
Helsel also told AP that throwing rocks is more effective than crawling under desks and waiting, and it gives students and teachers a chance to defend themselves. However, the buckets are kept in classroom closets and are not immediately available for use if necessary.
Parents in the district have been supportive of this idea, which has been in place since last fall.
“At this point, we have to get creative, we have to protect our kids first and foremost,” parent Dori Bornstein told WNEP-TV. “Throwing rocks, it’s an option.”
However, there are those who are opposed to the idea. Kenneth Trump, who is the president of the National School and Safety Services based out of Cleveland, says the idea of having rocks in a classroom is illogical and irrational, and it could possibly cost lives.
Trump also said the efforts fill an emotional security need, but does not enhance security.