PA Superintendent: Arm Students With a Bucket of Rocks
Blue Mountain School District’s chief suggested using a five-gallon bucket of “river stone” for active-shooter situations.

REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao / Reuters
The superintendent of Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain School District told state lawmakers that students could protect themselves in an active shooter situation by throwing rocks, according to WNEP. “Every classroom has been equipped with a five-gallon bucket of river stone,” Dr. David Helsel told the state’s House Education Committee last week. “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.” Hesel said that he “just had the idea of river stone,” claiming that “they’re the right size for hands, you can throw them very hard and they will create or cause pain, which can distract.” According to Hesel, the rocks are seen as a last resort, with more secure entrances and children learning how to properly barricade doors as the primary responses in an active shooter situation.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.