Schools issued with bulletproof whiteboards

Bulletproof whiteboards are being introduced in some US schools in what is being seen as adding a last-resort layer of safety for teachers and students against shootings. The schools include one where there was an attack a decade ago in which two students were killed.



The 18-by-20in (46-51cms) boards use a material apparently stronger than police-issue bulletproof vests and can be used as a shield in an emergency. Among the places where they are being installed is the Rocori School District in Minnesota which has acquired nearly 200 of them.

The board's manufacturer, Maryland-based Hardwire, has been working on armour protection devices for military vehicles and personnel for years. It turned its attention to school security after the Connecticut elementary school shootings last December that killed 20 children and six teachers. Company officials said the whiteboards are already in schools in North Dakota and Maryland, and are being rolled out in Pennsylvania and California.


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Police chief Phil Jones said Rocori schools were the first to use them in Minnesota. He claimed he test-fired several rounds at it and said: "We put this board to the test, and quite frankly, that was the day I became a believer." Mr Jones and Scott Staska, the Rocori superintendent, stress that the boards are a supplement to a broad plan that includes lockdown drills and school resource officers.