Dive Brief:

• A pilot program is outfitting staff at Gunning Bedford Middle School and Pleasantville Elementary in New Castle, DE, with bulletproof whiteboards. 
• Hardwire Chairman and CEO George Tunis told the Associated Press that his company's portable, 18-by-20-inch boards double as a shield if faced with gunfire.
• The lightweight boards were created out of vehicle and personal armor materials normally used in war.    

Dive Insight:

According to Tunis, the boards have instructions on the back that tell teachers how to best use the boards. He says they're meant to buy time and force a shooter to reload, at which time someone could ideally disarm him or her.  

Each board costs about $400, but for the pilot program, they were paid for by Delmarva Power, the Delaware City Refining Company, and Monroe Energy. In the wake of the recent school shooting in Washington state, as well as the many others over the last several years, this is viewed as a smart, preventative measure.  

State Sen. Nicole Poore, who created the initiative with Rep. Valerie Longhurst, told the Associated Press, “As an elected official and parent, I felt compelled to try any and everything possible to ensure the safety of our school children, their teachers and staff should there be an act of violence like we’ve seen repeated far too often across the country. If the bulletproof whiteboards save precious minutes for first responders, they will be a priceless addition to schools in our state.”