Gloucester City schools to receive emergency response shields for student, staff safety
GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. - School safety is why a local district is partnering with police and a businessperson to roll out portable, steel shields. They are aimed at protecting students and teachers in the event of an active shooter situation.
A Gloucester City businessperson is donating 250 shields to be placed in city schools to protect students and staff if a shooter enters the school.
Leo Holt, the president of Holt Logistics, operating along the Delaware River in Gloucester City, said, "I am a parent. I want my children to be safe. I cannot be with them all the time. I want them to have every tool in the toolbox they can possibly have."
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The shields, with handles and weighing twenty-two pounds, will be placed near fire extinguishers. The Superintendent of Gloucester City Schools, in Camden County, expects the devices will be installed in the next month.
The shield’s ability to repel a bullet was made clear Wednesday as police officers fired from a handgun and a rifle at it. The bullets simply bounced off the device and fell to the ground, while the shield was barely dented.
A teacher was shown how to handle the shield and some students are expected to be trained.
Gloucester City’s Chief of Police Brian Morrell said police will not force use of the shields on students and staff, but he said, "It is available to them in the event they see it, grab it, get it- -get their students out, get them out of the building safely."