School District to Arm Students With Rocks in Case of an Active Shooter Situation

A school district in Pennsylvania has armed its students with rocks as protection against the possibility of a school shooter.

Dr. David Helsel, Superintendent of the Blue Mountain School District, said students are being trained on how to handle emergency situations, and are learning to supplement the school's security systems. 

They’ve learned to barricade doors and to distract potential shooters so staffers can stop them.  But, as part of their protection they have also equipped each classroom with five-gallon river stones. 

Helsel said anyone entering a classroom with a weapon will face stoning.

“They are the right size for hands. You can throw them very hard and they can cause pain, which can distract,” Helsel said.

The effort will reportedly be used as a “last resort.”

“Anything helps, rocks are better than books and pencils,” one student said.

Teachers, staff and students were aslo  given active shooter training through a program known as ALICE which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate and they routinely hold evacuation drills for active shooter simulations. 

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