‘Bama Principal Wants to Arm Students With Food Cans

VALLEY, Ala. (AP) – An eastern Alabama school principal is asking students to bring cans of food such as corn, beans and peas as a way of defending against a school intruder.

W.F. Burns Middle School Principal Priscella Holley said in a Friday letter to parents that the request might seem odd. But she wrote that a can of food could stun an intruder “or even knock him out” until police arrive.

Holley also wrote that the canned food item will give the students a sense of empowerment to protect themselves and make them feel secure if an intruder enters their classroom at the school in Valley, Alabama.

In the letter obtained by WHNT-TV, Holley said she hopes the cans aren’t needed for a school intruder but “it is best to be prepared.”