An Alabama middle school has devised a new way to protect their students from a potential intruder. They requested that students bring canned food to school and use it as a weapon if a dangerous intruder confronts them.

(Photo from DOT blog)

W.F. Burns middle school’s principal and assistant principal sent a letter home to students asking them to bring an eight ounce can of “corn, beans, peas, etc.” they may use “in case an intruder enters their classroom.”

The school administration did seem to grasp the bizarre nature of the request, but assured parents that the plan has the ability to work:

“The procedure will be the same as we have done in the past with the addition of arming our students with a canned food item. We realize at first this may seem odd; however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off-guard. The canned food item could stun the intruder or even knock him out until the police arrive. The canned food item will give students a sense of empowerment to protect themselves and will make them feel secure in case an intruder enters their classroom.”

The letter cites two other examples of instances where localities saw the throwing of canned food as the X-factor in school safety. One example hails from Concord, Massachusetts and the other is from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin . Both cite the plan of having children chuck cans of soup at intruders to “stun” them and allow the kids to escape.

As far as anyone knows, this ridiculous procedure has never been put into practice in a real-life situation (let's hope and pray it never does). But, amid serious plans that could protect students like increasing police presence in schools or arming the teachers themselves to defend the lives of students, this scheme is as strange as it is absurd.