A middle school principal in Alabama wants to take cans of food beyond the simple classroom food drive and instead use them as a last-resort weapon in a confrontation with a school intruder.
In a letter published by TV station WHNT in Huntsville, Ala. W.F. Burns Middle School principal Priscella Holley asked parents to send along an 8-ounce canned item with their child to school.
“We realize at first this may seem odd; however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off guard,” read the letter.
“The canned food item could stun the intruder or even knock him out until the police arrive,” Holley wrote. “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.”
Arming students with items like canned corn or peas comes from school emergency defence training known as ALICE, an acronym for: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The training is taught by Auburn University’s Department of Public Safety, Chambers County Schools Superintendent Kelli Hodge told The Associated Press.
The canned items would be stored in classrooms and would be used as a last resort for students if they encounter an attacker, Hodge told the Associated Press.
In the letter to parents Holley said any cans not used for classroom security will be donated to a local food bank at the end of the school year.
“We hope the canned food items will never be used or needed, but it is best to be prepared,” she wrote.
-With files from The Associated Press
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