Lawmaker Wants to Use Buckets of Rocks to Defend Against Mass Shooters

A Pennsylvania school district offered an odd security measure for school shootings, placing a bucket of stones in each classroom for students to throw at a potential active shooter.

The Blue Mountain School District in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania made headlines after the viral story broke about their solution to school violence. Superintendent Dr. David Helsel testified before the state’s House Education Committee in Harrisburg last week, according to WNEP, a local ABC affiliate.

“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,” said Helsel.

He explained that the idea just came to him out of the blue.

“At one time I just had the idea of river stone, they’re the right size for hands, you can throw them very hard and they will create or cause pain, which can distract,” he said.

He added that there is a program in place to train teachers, staff and students in case of an active shooter scenario. The program is known as A.L.I.C.E., which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The schools in the district hold drills frequently, and Helsel assured the public that the five-gallon buckets of rocks were put into classrooms as a last resort.

“We have devices installed in our doors that help to secure them, to make it very difficult to break through,” said Helsel. “We also have, we train kids and talk about barricading the doors.”

A senior at Blue Mountain High School told the outlet that he and other students like the plan.

“It matters because it will help protect the schools, anything helps, rocks are better than books and pencils.”
Some parents voiced their support for the plan as well.

“At this point, we have to get creative, we have to protect our kids first and foremost, throwing rocks, it’s an option,” said Dori Bornstein.

Of course, the idea got some mockery as well, especially when it made its way onto Twitter.

“YES LET’S WEAPONIZE THE KIDS SO THEY CAN DEFINITELY ONLY USE THEM AGAINST AN ARMED INTRUDER,” tweeted on person. “NOPE THEY WONT USE THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER AND ALSO ROCKS AGAINST ADVANCED MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS IS YES VERY GOOD. VERY DAVID/GOLIATH.”

“I am in utter shock that an actual solution to school shootings in America is to keep a bucket of rocks to throw at an active shooter,” wrote another.”

“I’m old enough to remember when a “bucket of Rocks” from Pennsylvania meant Rolling Rock,” quipped one person.