School Shootings, A Showcase.
With kids back in class
With kids back in class, area parents are once again worried about possible mass shootings.
“Statistically speaking, June to September are the safest months when it comes to school shootings.” Speaking during a recent phone interview, Martha McCoid, superintendent of a local school board. “We’d like to keep everyone safe, but sadly that isn’t always possible.”
“Local school boards have looked at a number of ways to make schools safer.” State official Peter Gross said in a news conference early Monday morning. “From the symbolic banning of guns on school property to regular active shooter drills. Parents should rest easy knowing we are doing a range of things to keep our students safe. “
Teachers, students, trustees, and members of the board of education were recently invited to Michigan-based BangTec Inc’s. “Classroom Bang Bang” exhibition to showcase the range of products they make to enhance the safety of today’s students.
When asked about the showcase’s name, Alan Ruine, BangTec’s head of sales, said they wanted the name to clearly illustrate the fact that BangTec offered more bang for the buck than other S.H.I.T. (School enHanced Interior Technology) companies. S.H.I.T., as the industry sector dealing with school shootings has become known, S.H.I.T is the largest growing component of education spending.
The major attraction was “The Pod,” BangTecs best known product. The eight-foot high, six-foot wide, bullet-resistant personal classroom resembles the top half of a coconut. But within, there is enough space for a desk, a chair and several text books. Teachers and students are able to communicate through an “advanced internet-enabled audio-visual connection,” according to BangTecs press handouts. “We’ve removed the window and installed the screen as many pupils found being able to see the outside world a distraction. It was impeding teachers’ ability to prepare their students for the outside world It’s also made the units 12% cheaper to produce. “
Teachers’ pods are a little larger and feature an additional screen to allow the monitoring of internal school cameras to show the whereabouts of a suspected attacker, a socket to charge a mobile device in case a 911 call is required, and a pen holder.
Several parents asked why the pod was labelled bullet resistant and not bullet proof. “Unfortunately, the cost of manufacturing a truly bullet-proof pod would make it unfeasible to maintain a fifty-six percent gross profit margin. We looked at increasing the cost, but right now school funding is stretched thin. “
The Pod 1.2 will be available next year and will be movable. Pupils will enter them in the morning and remain in them until the end of the day. Moving from classroom to classroom within the motorised unit.
Simone Smith, a mother of four, two in high school and two in elementary, looked unimpressed with the pod. commenting that “without a lock on the door, there’s very little protection here.”
“That’s a fire regulation and out of our control.” Mr Ruine explained.
During a Q&A session, she asked Alan and other representatives of the company if they would let their children use a pod. “What you’ve got to remember is our children largely go to private schools and, for a number of reasons, school shootings don’t really occur in that setting. Bett…erh different security, more advanced planning for just such a situation, and in many ways, if the child doesn’t come back next year, that’s a drop in revenue, so they have a vested interest in keeping the kids safe. Plus, imagine having to carry all those firearms and ammunition all the way up one of those long driveways. So I don’t think it’s a fair question. “ Alan responded. Adding that if he “was to send his two sons to normal people school, I’d only let them attend if the school had pods.”
Other products on show included anti-gun window stickers, similar to no smoking signs. class posters to warn children what to do in the event of a shooter and the “Teachers Favourite” video series, including a twelve-disc set on what and what not to do if a shooter is in your school. This includes a work or colouring book depending on the grade and a replica gun for students to keep as a reminder of the dangers of guns. “This year’s video now includes cell phone footage from actual incidents, giving the kids a real insight into these types of events,” Alan enthused.
While BangTec is just one of several companies vying for the state’s dollars, parents and teachers just hope they never have to rely on the firm’s products. Jennifer Packard is once such parent, every lunch time her and her daughter Bess, play dead.
Martha McCoid sums up the feelings of many when she says, “It was better before guns became political.”
