Students at an Alabama middle school are being asked to bring canned goods in order to use them as weapons against a potential gunman.
Parents received a letter by W.F. Burns Middle School Principal Priscella Holley on Friday requesting them to provide children with an eight-ounce can of beans, corn, peas, soup or any other food they could bring back to the school, Fox News reported. Apparently, it will be used to fight of school intruders.
"We realize at first this may seem odd, however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off-guard," read a copy of the letter obtained by WHNT.
If an intruder were to enter a classroom at the W.F. Burns Middle School in Valley, Ala., the cans would help empower students to fight back instead of hiding, Holley wrote in the note.
The tactic has been inspired by the ALICE method, which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate, Superintendent of Chambers County Schools Kelli Hodge told WHNT, adding that the can-throwing is part of ALICE's C stage, counter.
Throwing cans or other items would be a last resort for students who are unable to evacuate. Not only would it teach students what to do during a shooting, but also stun an intruder "or even knock him out" until police arrive.
"The canned good item will give the students a sense of empowerment to protect themselves and will make them feel secure in case an intruder enters the classroom."
If the cans are never used, they will be donated to a local food pantry at the end of the school year, the letter added.
Apart from canned goods, staplers, textbooks, binders, lab beakers, shoes, chairs or music stands are all acceptable projectile as well, according to an educational video.
"If there's a gunman in your school, you're allowed to throw things," the video explained.
Meanwhile the ALICE training, part of new school safety guidelines ordered by the Department of Education in 2013, is used by grade schools across 30 states, New York Daily News reported. The eastern Alabama school decided to use it after being trained by Auburn University's public safety department.
"I can honestly say that the major point of the training ... is to be able to get kids evacuated and not be sitting ducks hiding under desks," Hodge told the TV station.
"We hope the canned food items will never be used or needed, but it is best to be prepared," Holley wrote in the letter.