This school is supplying rocks for students to throw at any shooters: 'They will be stoned'
By Korin Miller @ YahooNews
People are understandably freaked out in the wake of more school shootings, and many school systems are scrambling to figure out how to keep their students, teachers, and staff safe. Now, one superintendent at a Pennsylvania school district thinks he has the solution: arm students with rocks.
David Helsel, superintendent of the Blue Mountain School District, told state lawmakers earlier this week that in the event of a shooting, his students will use rocks to protect themselves. “Every classroom has been equipped with a five-gallon bucket of river stone. If an armed intruder attempts to gain entrance into any of our classrooms, they will face a classroom full students armed with rocks and they will be stoned,” he said, per WNEP 16.
Helsel said he came up with the idea himself and chose river stone because the rocks are “the right size for hands, you can throw them very hard, and they will create or cause pain, which can distract.” According to Helsel, teachers, staff, and students in his district were given active-shooter training through a program known as ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate), and they regularly hold evacuation drills for active-shooter simulations.
This isn’t the first line of defense, Helsel says, but it could be one tool in their arsenal. “We have devices installed in our doors that help to secure them, to make it very difficult to break through,” he said. “We also train kids and talk about barricading the doors.”
Helsel did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
While the idea is definitely creative, experts aren’t impressed. “This is ridiculous,” John Matthews, executive director of the Community Safety Institute and a former chief of police, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s next to the idea of throwing canned vegetables.” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which works closely with Everytown to fight gun violence, agrees. “I think this is a really bad idea,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country should be working to disarm dangerous people — not give kids rocks, she says. “The idea that rocks are going to protect children from gunmen is an absurd idea,” Watts says. “People are looking to solutions that are ineffective because they are reticent to try data-driven solutions that are proven to work, like stronger gun laws.”
Instead of rocks, Matthews recommends realistic training for staff and students on what to do during an attack prior to police arrival, as well as proactive campus safety teams who make “pragmatic recommendations” based on each individual campus.
Watts says armed school resource officers or security officers may help somewhat if they’re well trained and have completed background checks, but they’re not necessarily enough to take on a gunman who has access to semiautomatic weapons. “This is not happening in other high-income countries — this is a problem unique to schools in America,” she says. “We have so many guns and so few gun laws.” Click to show
[This message has been edited by Tony Kania (edited 03-23-2018).]
If there is something to be achieved by reducing the likelihood of members setting up a new Topic that duplicates one or more Topics that were already started, then I have a small (really small) suggestion:
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What if members worked a little harder (in general) when they are setting up their Subject field for their next new Topic?
There are only so many text characters to work with, so it can be kind of a challenge or "art form". But the trick is to come up with something that is provocative--that invites other members (or non-member lurkers) to click and look at it--and at the same time, gives some real clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Work with all the text characters that are availalble in the Subject field.
I usually like to set up the "hook" or the provocative part first, and then use the remaining text characters to provide some clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Just a thought.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 03-24-2018).]
If there is something to be achieved by reducing the likelihood of members setting up a new Topic that duplicates one or more Topics that were already started, then I have a small (really small) suggestion: There are only so many text characters to work with, so it can be kind of a challenge or "art form". But the trick is to come up with something that is provocative--that invites other members (or non-member lurkers) to click and look at it--and at the same time, gives some real clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Work with all the text characters that are availalble in the Subject field.
I usually like to set up the "hook" or the provocative part first, and then use the remaining text characters to provide some clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Originally posted by Tony Kania: Listen, I have 5 digit posting numbers. I have made a handful of repeat postings. Nothing here warrants your suggestion. Move the **** on.
Edit: I gave you a neg about a week ago. I forgot to mention that. As always Ronald, that rating can fluctuate. Or flatulence?
It was more directly a criticism of MidEngineManiac in this case. He was the first one to create the "school has throwing stones" topic.
I try not to be too blunt, or too quick to react to things here, but you really have some Anger Management problems, my friend. They come out on this forum like giant red lights or red flags.
I hope for your sake that it's just an online messages board thing with you, and not characteristic of any part of your "real" life.
I try not to be too blunt, or too quick to react to things here, but you really have some Anger Management problems, my friend. They come out on this forum like giant red lights or red flags.
I hope for your sake that it's just an online messages board thing with you, and not characteristic of any part of your "real" life.
I really do.
Interesting take on my life. An opinion in which those around me do not value, but interesting none the less.
I cannot be offended by your diagnosis. I just can't.
I've heard a lot of trashing on the radio about the guys idea. While the headline is inflammatory, and misleading, the school has taken other precautions to protect the kids. At least the kids don't have to defend themselves with pencils in a worst case scenario.
Originally posted by rinselberg: There are only so many text characters to work with, so it can be kind of a challenge or "art form". But the trick is to come up with something that is provocative--that invites other members (or non-member lurkers) to click and look at it--and at the same time, gives some real clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Work with all the text characters that are availalble in the Subject field.
I usually like to set up the "hook" or the provocative part first, and then use the remaining text characters to provide some clue(s) as to exactly what the new Topic is going to be.
Just a thought.
Indeed, a profound thought comes to mind. Your tactic, I have seen before. In fact, you just defined the term prict teaser, .
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Originally posted by williegoat: Next up: ulanstan's advise on grammar and syntax.
I miss that guy.
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Originally posted by rinselberg: ... you really have some Anger Management problems, my friend. They come out on this forum like giant red lights or red flags.
Are you color blind ? Or just blind ? Tony needing anger management ? I guess I need commitment to the loony bin.
Oh, nice use of the capital text. Don't forget you can text bold, and color text, even bold.
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Originally posted by olejoedad: While the headline is inflammatory, and misleading, the school has taken other precautions to protect the kids. At least the kids don't have to defend themselves with pencils in a worst case scenario.
What happens when they run out of rocks ? How many rocks in an assault bucket ? What if there are four shooters. I want my gun.
I do know the school (district) has taken other precautionary measures. Don't bring a rock to a gun fight. Bring a bazooka.
Personally, I do (at least theoretically) see 'some' merit in the 'rock suggestion', but only in light of the 'any weapon is better than no weapon" theory. Defending yourself with anything readily available is preferable over cowering behind a desk begging for your life.
I still say that school grounds should be public grounds. Open to a community. We should not lock our kids up "for safety". I do understand the issues, but long for a time when a child could walk to school at 6 years old without fear. When parents knew the teachers. They were all neighbors, and neighbors looked out for one another. A child was looked after.
I do not like this new theme of using children to rile up the lemmings.
I understand, the violence in our society from the 'few bad apples' is spoiling it for the rest of us. When sorting fruit, you remove the spoiled fruit from the rest of the basket
In grade school, we were taught to hide under our desks in case the Russians dropped the big one on us. Even at seven years old, we knew that was silly. These kids must feel the same way.
If the US Army thought it an effective weapon, it should work for the kids.
While stationed in Turkey a Marine gate guard sounded the alarm that someone scaled our operations building fence. Each rifle was assigned to 3 soldiers but weren't allowed out of the Quartermasters building per Turkish restrictions.
Everyone on duty was pulled out to walk the perimeter with hands full of rocks.
