Bulletproof whiteboards in schools.

**WALTHERGUY** · November 7th, 2014, 04:38 PM

Have you seen news reports about these bulletproof whiteboards? There was a front page article in the Delaware News Journal about them. One of the Delaware Senators is pushing to get these distributed to all of the schools. There are sooooo many problems with them. This is just another attempt by a politician to make it look like they are "doing something" to protect the children. Unfortunately, this is just another “feel good” measure that will create a false sense of security. The users might feel safe but they won’t be safe. For some reason, they don't understand the difference!

Problems:
1. The boards are too small. They aren’t big enough to cover the head and torso area at the same time. So the shooter will just shoot the person where they aren’t covered.
2. No window so the user can see where they are going.
3. No handles. They have to grip the edges exposing their fingers which make excellent targets and if hit the user will drop the board.
4. Are the users going to be able to hold on to the board if the board is hit near the edges or if the board is held on an angle?
5. If the shooter encounters someone with one of these boards, what stops them from shooting anyone who's not behind the board? What stops the shooter from moving sideways before shooting?
6. The directions say for everyone to get behind the person with the board. Yeah, I can see a whole classroom full of kids doing that.
7. They are only giving them to “a few” staff members. So no one else will be protected.
8. The instructions say the user is supposed to hold the board up in front of them as they charge the shooter. I don’t see that happening either. The staff probably has the desire to protect the children but they don't have the skills and these boards are definitely not the right tools to do that.

The schools would be much better off spending the money on the right kind of classroom door locks so the shooter can’t get into the classroom. After Sandy Hook, a guy invented a lock system for inside the classroom that can only be opened from the inside. The shooter can’t force the door and can’t shoot out the lock. The system costs about $150 per door.

**qmcorps** · November 10th, 2014, 10:10 AM

Can we also get the Wonder Woman Bracelets?

**bogey1** · November 10th, 2014, 10:27 AM

I say just give all the kids beta capsules.

**MT1** · November 10th, 2014, 11:33 AM

Have you seen news reports about these bulletproof whiteboards? There was a front page article in the Delaware News Journal about them. One of the Delaware Senators is pushing to get these distributed to all of the schools. There are sooooo many problems with them. This is just another attempt by a politician to make it look like they are "doing something" to protect the children. Unfortunately, this is just another “feel good” measure that will create a false sense of security. The users might feel safe but they won’t be safe. For some reason, they don't understand the difference!

Problems:
1. The boards are too small. They aren’t big enough to cover the head and torso area at the same time. So the shooter will just shoot the person where they aren’t covered. Same can occur with standard body armor.
2. No window so the user can see where they are going. The idea seems to be to protect the torso.
3. No handles. They have to grip the edges exposing their fingers which make excellent targets and if hit the user will drop the board. You're going to snipe fingers? Assuming the fingers are not attached to King Kong and the target is moving I think the odds are low. More likely to drop the board from the shock of impact.
4. Are the users going to be able to hold on to the board if the board is hit near the edges or if the board is held on an angle? Any bullet impact is likely to cause a drop of the board.
5. If the shooter encounters someone with one of these boards, what stops them from shooting anyone who's not behind the board? What stops the shooter from moving sideways before shooting?
6. The directions say for everyone to get behind the person with the board. Yeah, I can see a whole classroom full of kids doing that.
7. They are only giving them to “a few” staff members. So no one else will be protected.
8. The instructions say the user is supposed to hold the board up in front of them as they charge the shooter. I don’t see that happening either. The staff probably has the desire to protect the children but they don't have the skills and these boards are definitely not the right tools to do that.

The schools would be much better off spending the money on the right kind of classroom door locks so the shooter can’t get into the classroom. After Sandy Hook, a guy invented a lock system for inside the classroom that can only be opened from the inside. The shooter can’t force the door and can’t shoot out the lock. The system costs about $150 per door. This is a great idea IF there is advance warning. I have visited a site recently that did an in-house modification with aircraft cable and heavy grade eyelets. The cable is snapped in place if an intruder alert is sounded. Cost was under $50/door. It is only effective if the door is solid wood or steel preventing the intruder from breaching the door material.

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Thoughts to your above comments are in bold. Here is my take on this....

While the whiteboard idea certainly isn't the wonder cure the concept is no different than basic body armor, protect the vital organs of the torso. The active shooter concept teaches 3 options: Run, Hide, Fight. Each scenario presents different challenges. Every option has additional risk. Under the Fight option speed, surprise, and violence of action are key. The history of these events shows fighting back increases the odds FOR THE GROUP. The chance of survival in a one-on-one situation is low but not as low as cowering in a corner and begging for mercy. The average active shooter in a school is not prepared for resistance. The death rate is high because previous strategies did not include fighting back. The whiteboard is not the end all answer but it could be one of multiple tools provided to school children, office workers, etc...

In my current role I travel nationwide teaching active shooter response and conducting a variety of vulnerability assessments each year. The average "event" lasts about 11 minutes with a dozen or more casualties. The only way to counter this internally while minimizing death is to react quickly and commit to the choices you make. If a teacher is forced to fight they need a "buffer" that allows them to get close to the shooter. The average shooter panics and loses focus when their intended target comes at them. A whiteboard will cover your "center mass". Once within range the whiteboard can be a very effective weapon as long as it is light enough to swing but heavy enough to be effective.

From a marketing perspective the whiteboard makes sense. Keep in mind the manufacturer has to sell this politically as well as practically. I am not saying these are the best option... just telling you I know what angles they will work after having sat through countless demonstrations of every gadget you can imagine. Some examples... they appear portable and easily carried, they have a practical use in the class as a writing surface, they can be weaponized to bludgeon an attacker, training can be done in the gym as opposed to a specialized location, low maintenance to keep the board operational, little to no sustainment funding required except maybe training, they probably provide the same torso protection as a SAPI plate, and for the sake of the liberals.... they do not look threatening when they are sitting on a teacher's desk.