Iowa teachers develop device to protect classrooms during shootings
Jun 14, 2014, 4:07 PM | Updated: 4:08 pm
Sadly, the reality is that school shootings have become the norm in American culture.
Rarely has a week go by of late where a U.S. school wasn’t victimized by some unfortunate act of gun violence.
Well a group of middle teachers in Muscatine, Iowa are trying to buck that tragic trend with a rather unique invention.
The invention is called ‘The Sleeve,’ and it’s 12-gauge carbon steel case designed to fit around the door arm closest to the classroom.
With ‘The Sleeve,’ a door can withstand 550 pounds of pressure, securing the classroom from the inside.
West Middle School teacher Daniel Nitzel came up with the initial concept — one that stemmed from the countless active shooter training courses he had participated in previously.
“We were instructed to tie a belt or a cord around the closer arm,” Nitzel told WTAD in Quad Cities, Iowa. “It seemed like a logical way to secure a door without having to go into the hallway, [but] it took us a long time to get a cord, stand on a chair, and tie a knot, which could potentially be the most important tie of your life.
“I can tell you in our training, all five rooms that the teachers were trained in; the doors were breached, the cords were ripped, and the officer who was portraying the active shooter came in and killed all of us.”
Nitzel and a group of teachers formed a company, Fight Chance Solutions, after developing the concept 10 months ago. Currently, they’re still waiting for a patent.
