Laurie Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I never thought I'd see the day when a school would be collecting canned food to be used as weapons! http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/principal-seeks-food-cans-defend-school-intruders-28191214 The teachers are supposed to barricade the doors, but having some canned food in the classroom would be a last resort. I wonder if the teachers have anything like bear spray or even a fire extinguisher available inside the classrooms to use against an intruder? It seems like the canned food might be a good idea, and it's good that the food will be donated at the end of the year. But still...it's so awful to even think about school kids having to defend themselves with canned food! I wonder how many other schools will do this, too? I guess it would also be helpful in case the kids get stuck at school because of some natural disaster. Hopefully the teachers will keep a can opener in their desks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Funny, this has been a self-defense tool for years. A decade ago my kids martial arts teacher told them about food cans; best if you can manage to throw a couple in a pillowcase so you can sling the cans really hard if necessary. If I were a teacher, I think is be happy to cough up the $1.50 for myself, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 PS I see it's not just for the teacher but for the kids, also. Can you imagine that scene, an intruder being pummeled by a class of elementary kids with cans of peas and carrots? It's like a scene out of a comedy flick. Resourceful, though. I am sad it has to even be a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 It seems kind of bizarre to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sorry, but the logic is shockingly ridiculous. Not to mention potentially dangerous and lethal. "It will make the students feel empowered" makes me want to shout and cry. And what kind of a message does that send the kids and parents? Your school is so unsafe that we need to collect a donation of mostly impotent foodstuffs to throw at armed gunmen. Genius. If they want to empower the kids how about education programs, collections/fund raisers for more counseled and even safety equipment. Better yet, awareness, gun safety and control, writing letters to public officials, inspirational speakers, and a million other more useful projects! Wow. Simply appalled. Now the kids at that school have to further doubt not only their safety, but the level of education they will receive at the hands of officials that generated this brilliant gem of an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 The good old United States, where we have so much food to spare that even that gets weaponized. :001_rolleyes: This is so many kinds of stupid, I don't even know where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sorry, but the logic is shockingly ridiculous. Not to mention potentially dangerous and lethal. "It will make the students feel empowered" makes me want to shout and cry. And what kind of a message does that send the kids and parents? Your school is so unsafe that we need to collect a donation of mostly impotent foodstuffs to throw at armed gunmen. Genius. If they want to empower the kids how about education programs, collections/fund raisers for more counseled and even safety equipment. Better yet, awareness, gun safety and control, writing letters to public officials, inspirational speakers, and a million other more useful projects! Wow. Simply appalled. Now the kids at that school have to further doubt not only their safety, but the level of education they will receive at the hands of officials that generated this brilliant gem of an idea. :iagree: Creating programs to discourage bullying, encourage tolerance, and direct teens with mental illness and their parents to resources would probably do far more than canned peas to keep the kids safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 What are they going to say when students get beaned by other students? (corny pun intended) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I am not in favor of telling kids they are likely targets of a terrorist attack. But what do I know .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I just sent that link to a police officer friend who does active shooter training. I don't really think that's what he has in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I can just see a group of scrawny kids heaving cans of beans at someone with a fully automatic weapon and/or homemade bombs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I won't even read that. Way to scare little kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 I won't even read that. Way to scare little kids. That was my initial reaction, too. But the school is a middle school so at least this isn't for the very young. I was thinking about movies like Red Dawn and even Home Alone when kids have had to defend themselves from some kind of invader. Maybe it is "empowering" to remind the students that they aren't always sitting ducks. I remember hearing that the little 2nd grade girl who recently survived the plane crash that killed the rest of her family had received some sort of survival training from her father. I don't know what he taught her, but at least the poor child had options other than to sit in the wreckage and cry. I can think of pros and cons to both sides...protecting their innocence or preparing them for disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Ivy Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sorry, but the logic is shockingly ridiculous. Not to mention potentially dangerous and lethal. "It will make the students feel empowered" makes me want to shout and cry. And what kind of a message does that send the kids and parents? Your school is so unsafe that we need to collect a donation of mostly impotent foodstuffs to throw at armed gunmen. Genius. If they want to empower the kids how about education programs, collections/fund raisers for more counseled and even safety equipment. Better yet, awareness, gun safety and control, writing letters to public officials, inspirational speakers, and a million other more useful projects! Wow. Simply appalled. Now the kids at that school have to further doubt not only their safety, but the level of education they will receive at the hands of officials that generated this brilliant gem of an idea. (Not trying to single you out; you just had the best summary of the posts. :D ) When you are in a lockdown with an intruder, there is nothing that can make you feel more vulnerable. Having the means to defend yourself rather than cower and hide IS empowering. Been there, done that. Active Shooter Training has changed over the years, especially in light of attacks like Sandy Hook. Now, they tell you to actively defend yourself which is what the school doing the food drive is attempting to do (though it seems to be very misguided). Even if you are just doing active shooter training, fight or flight takes hold. You want to defend yourself and being able to throw things at the "shooters"IS empowering. It is also a deterrent. School shooters are cowards. They are looking for an easy target. Arming yourself and your students and fighting back does not make it easy and they will move on. When my class does intruder drills, I actively speak to them about the methods we would incorporate IF it were to be a serious incident. My students know that I would tie down the door to the door anchor; we would put multiple desks in front of the door; we would stay quiet so as not to draw attention, and if possible, we would crawl out windows. However, we also talk about "what if we don't have time to do all that?" In that case, my kids know to grab books, scissors, pencils, backpacks, chairs, etc. They know to throw as hard as they can and to scream as loud as they can. They tell me they feel better talking about that option than just hiding, even on the drills. Hiding makes them scared. The thought of defending themselves makes them feel better. I do think there are better methods for this school to implement than doing food drives to get canned artillery. :/ The teachers need to have anchors to tie down their doors. They need to know how to properly barricade. But, I don't necessarily think the idea of having items to throw is ludicrous. And, I'd much rather spend money on items to throw and defend ourselves, than to spend money for counseling due to the trauma/loss of classmates. just my 2 cents based on experience. ETA: This is a huge reason why I don't want my kids in a PS. I know I can't shelter them from everything. We could have a hostage situation at the bank, at Walmart, at church. Still, the likelihood of a school shooting is becoming more common. So sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Why does it have to be cans of food? What a waste. If you have to do something, why not rocks? Free, same concept. What idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 (Not trying to single you out; you just had the best summary of the posts. :D ) When you are in a lockdown with an intruder, there is nothing that can make you feel more vulnerable. Having the means to defend yourself, rather than cower and hide IS empowering. Been there, done that. Active Shooter Training has changed over the years, especially in light of attacks like Sandy Hook. Now, they tell you to actively defend yourself which is what the school doing the food drive is attempting to do (though it seems to be very misguided). Even if you are just doing active shooter training, fight or flight takes hold. You want to defend yourself and being able to throw things at the "shooters"IS empowering. It is also a deterrent. School shooters are cowards. They are looking for an easy target. Arming yourself and your students and fighting back does not make it easy and they will move on. When my class does intruder drills, I actively speak to them about the methods we would incorporate IF it were to be a serious incident. My students know that I would tie down the door to the door anchor; we would put multiple desks in front of the door; we would stay quiet so as not to draw attention, and if possible, we would crawl out windows. However, we also talk about "what if we don't have time to do all that?" In that case, my kids know to grab books, scissors, pencils, backpacks, chairs, etc. They know to throw as hard as they can and to scream as loud as they can. They tell me they feel better talking about that option than just hiding, even on the drills. Hiding makes them scared. The thought of defending themselves makes them feel better. I do think there are better methods for this school to implement than doing food drives to get canned artillery. :/ The teachers need to have anchors to tie down their doors. They need to know how to properly barricade. But, I don't necessarily think the idea of having items to throw is ludicrous. And, I'd much rather spend money on items to throw and defend ourselves, than to spend money for counseling due to the trauma/loss of classmates. just my 2 cents based on experience. Oh, don't get me wrong! I absolutely believe that everyone should have self-defense classes and be taught to fight back! I was in the Army for 4 years, and I have seen first hand what happens when people are not taught to defend themselves with whatever means necessary:( But schools are not the place for it, not like this. I could even get behind an after school program with a well-rounded self-defense theme that taught kids when, how, and why to fight back. And yes, teaching them to throw canned goods or anything else at their disposal at that point would be perfectly appropriate and helpful:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Why does it have to be cans of food? What a waste. If you have to do something, why not rocks? Free, same concept. What idiots. I'm assuming that the schools donate the canned food to the food bank at the end of the school year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Oh, don't get me wrong! I absolutely believe that everyone should have self-defense classes and be taught to fight back! I was in the Army for 4 years, and I have seen first hand what happens when people are not taught to defend themselves with whatever means necessary:( But schools are not the place for it, not like this. I could even get behind an after school program with a well-rounded self-defense theme that taught kids when, how, and why to fight back. And yes, teaching them to throw canned goods or anything else at their disposal at that point would be perfectly appropriate and helpful:) I know a couple of schools in California that have comprehensive school-wide self defense training because they have the children of stars (IE kidnap risks) attending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Funny, this has been a self-defense tool for years. A decade ago my kids martial arts teacher told them about food cans; best if you can manage to throw a couple in a pillowcase so you can sling the cans really hard if necessary. If I were a teacher, I think is be happy to cough up the $1.50 for myself, though. Yeah, because they're not already coughing up about $5/day worth of supplies... If you have to do something, why not rocks? Free, same concept. What idiots. You're allowed to have food in the classroom but not rocks. Rocks are weapons. Who's an idiot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I had an interesting conversation today with someone who has some inside information about this story. Apparently the school district took something that another school was doing (and had specific reasons for doing it) and decided it would work in their school too. The district sent letters to parents about the cans, but didn't have a clue about the reason or methodology behind it. Because of all the publicity, the district will be getting some free active shooter training and cans will not be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 http://www.alicetraining.com/alice-training-institute-offers-training-chambers-county-school-district/ My friend asked me to pass on this article and to tell anyone who is interested in active shooter response to "like" the page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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