Florida School Selling Bulletproof Panel for Student Backpacks

A private school in Miami is offering parents pieces of ballistic armor to make their children’s backpacks bulletproof.

Florida Christian School, a nondenominational private school, is selling the inserts for $120. Parents just need to fill out a form and send it to the dean’s office.

“It’s just a tool,” George Gulla, who handles security for the school, told the Miami Herald last week. “I’d rather be prepared for the worst than be stuck after saying ‘Wow, I wish we would’ve done that.’”

Gulla has been working for the school since 2012, the year 20 first-graders and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Since then, the 27-year law enforcement veteran has used his skills to plan drills to prepare parents and students in case there is an active shooter on campus.

Gulla has taught students to hold backpacks close to their chests. “We want to protect our students’ center mass,” Gulla said. But the bulletproof inserts, which weigh less than a book, will provide even more protection.

“We thought, yeah, let’s offer it to anyone who wants it,” Gulla told the Herald. “It’s not required. But if it gives you extra peace of mind…”

The Herald reported on Florida Christian School’s bulletproof inserts just two days before the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Of the 26 victims in that shooting, eight were children, including the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor.

The bulletproof backpack idea isn’t new. BulletBlocker sells bulletproof backpack inserts for $99 and $175.