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deckels
Here's an article about two Boston dads who invented (and are selling) a $175 backpack with bulletproof metallic insert to keep their kids safe at school. A good investment?
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=1016084
Answer
Buying this product would be a horrible idea.
You'd be benefiting a greedy manufacturer who intends to exploit the fear of parents by selling a product of questionable utility.
How can the armor material be a 'secret' and also meet NIJ standards? It's unlikely to have passed NIJ testing since there's no mention of 'MJ Safety Solutions' or âMy Childâs Packâ in the database of tested products. NIJ has several standards in different areas a reputable firm would have specified the standard met and the independent testing agency that verified compliance. Even if they do show compliance with some NIJ standards, how are these standards applicable for a kid using this product?
The examples, comparisons, and quotes used in the article are disturbing and misleading.
âWe have tested and tested this product and we are very excited about it. We researched every school shooting since 1900 and found that our product is resistant to 97 percent of all bullets used,âResistant to 97% of all bullets used in school shootings is a long way from showing that this product would have saved any lives in those school shootings.
The backpacks werenât due to go on sale until the start of the school year but Pelonzi brought the release date forward to Friday, days after a Herald review revealed how more than 500 weapons were recovered from Bostonâs public schools in the past year.
Clearly Pelonzi sees the benefit of using fear to sell his product.
The backpacks, which will cost $175, have a super-lightweight bullet-proof plate sewn into the back which weighs no more than a bottle of water. Pelonzi said the material used is a secret.
The plate material meets National Institute of Justice safety standards, said Pelonzi, and during a three-year testing phase, stood up to bullets as well as machete, hatchet and Ka-bar knife attacks.
In this and other articles Pelonzi is trying to both claim his armor is light in weight and offers the same protection as a police officer's body armor. This is especially apparent in other articles where he compares the weight of police body armor to the backpack without acknowledging the greater coverage provided by police vests.
Think of how kids carry backpacks. How much protection will this thing provide slung over one shoulder? Even worn on both shoulders it would provide poor protection in a close-quarters gun fight. Is Pelonzi willing to demonstrate his product under those conditions? Let's see a video of test dummies optimally protected with backpacks being fired on by a single shooter. Even if you restrict the shooter to a fixed position and give him a limited time he'll likely do some serious damage to these poorly protected students.
âIt seems to me that it would not serve our district-wide dress code which says that students cannot wear anything which is threatening or offensive,â said Jonathan Palumbo, Boston Public Schools spokesman.
Palumbo's argument seems lame at first glance, what's offensive or threatening about an armored backpack? Isn't it purely defensive? The point he's making is a good one, a student with this backpack might feel sufficiently protected to confront a gunman and escalate a potentially violent situation that might have been brought under control by trained authorities.
My primary concern about this product is the false sense of security it provides students and their parents. A student would require a great deal of training and practice to make any use of this as a protective device. I suggest that time would be better spent educating students how to react to these situations safely without limited body armor. I wouldn't want any kid deciding to rely on this type of protection. I'd rather they acted smart and retreated in a safe fashion.
Buying this product would be a horrible idea.
You'd be benefiting a greedy manufacturer who intends to exploit the fear of parents by selling a product of questionable utility.
How can the armor material be a 'secret' and also meet NIJ standards? It's unlikely to have passed NIJ testing since there's no mention of 'MJ Safety Solutions' or âMy Childâs Packâ in the database of tested products. NIJ has several standards in different areas a reputable firm would have specified the standard met and the independent testing agency that verified compliance. Even if they do show compliance with some NIJ standards, how are these standards applicable for a kid using this product?
The examples, comparisons, and quotes used in the article are disturbing and misleading.
âWe have tested and tested this product and we are very excited about it. We researched every school shooting since 1900 and found that our product is resistant to 97 percent of all bullets used,âResistant to 97% of all bullets used in school shootings is a long way from showing that this product would have saved any lives in those school shootings.
The backpacks werenât due to go on sale until the start of the school year but Pelonzi brought the release date forward to Friday, days after a Herald review revealed how more than 500 weapons were recovered from Bostonâs public schools in the past year.
Clearly Pelonzi sees the benefit of using fear to sell his product.
The backpacks, which will cost $175, have a super-lightweight bullet-proof plate sewn into the back which weighs no more than a bottle of water. Pelonzi said the material used is a secret.
The plate material meets National Institute of Justice safety standards, said Pelonzi, and during a three-year testing phase, stood up to bullets as well as machete, hatchet and Ka-bar knife attacks.
In this and other articles Pelonzi is trying to both claim his armor is light in weight and offers the same protection as a police officer's body armor. This is especially apparent in other articles where he compares the weight of police body armor to the backpack without acknowledging the greater coverage provided by police vests.
Think of how kids carry backpacks. How much protection will this thing provide slung over one shoulder? Even worn on both shoulders it would provide poor protection in a close-quarters gun fight. Is Pelonzi willing to demonstrate his product under those conditions? Let's see a video of test dummies optimally protected with backpacks being fired on by a single shooter. Even if you restrict the shooter to a fixed position and give him a limited time he'll likely do some serious damage to these poorly protected students.
âIt seems to me that it would not serve our district-wide dress code which says that students cannot wear anything which is threatening or offensive,â said Jonathan Palumbo, Boston Public Schools spokesman.
Palumbo's argument seems lame at first glance, what's offensive or threatening about an armored backpack? Isn't it purely defensive? The point he's making is a good one, a student with this backpack might feel sufficiently protected to confront a gunman and escalate a potentially violent situation that might have been brought under control by trained authorities.
My primary concern about this product is the false sense of security it provides students and their parents. A student would require a great deal of training and practice to make any use of this as a protective device. I suggest that time would be better spent educating students how to react to these situations safely without limited body armor. I wouldn't want any kid deciding to rely on this type of protection. I'd rather they acted smart and retreated in a safe fashion.
Are there laws regarding "overcrowding" of school buses in Indiana?
Armandez
Looking online hasn't been a whole lot of help. I define overcrowding when you have people sticking out into the isles because there are 3 people being jammed into a seat. Looking online bus manufacturers rate their seats to hold up to 3 people, but they rate that based upon using children, while IF they rated the seats for adult sized high schoolers it probably be 2 people to a seat. Looking I saw something about a Federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 222 which said it isn't safe if all the occupants of the seat can not fit within the seat (meaning not hanging out in the isle). But I couldn't really find any safety standard No. 222 online or at least one that stated something like that. IF that safety standard does exist, what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that it is a law and pretty much it is completely illegal for a bus to be operating if it can not fit all its occupants into the seat properly or is just more a suggestion to schools that "hey you should try and keep it like this because this and this is safer"? The reason I ask is I happen to ride a bus overly crowded in my opinion and it is all High School people on it and just the other day there was 4 people jammed into one seat, you put so many high school people onto a bus it gets rowdy...and my school doesn't want to do anything about it. I understand the need or the want to save some money here or there but already 2 fights have nearly broken out, the other day it was a free for all as people started throwing things ranging from change, to pencils, to big heavy wooden hair brushes. Doesn't help the bus driver does nothing to attempt to keep control, the bus is going to kill me if I can't come up with the money to buy a car pretty soon. So if there is a law or something I can fight my school with, that would make my day.
Answer
There are laws in most states on overcrowding of school buses. However, manufacturer of bus states how many in a seat and may be 3. Doesn't account for bigger students so if manufacturer says that 3 people are in a seat, then can stick out in aisles. Shouldn't be but they get by it that way.
May restrict from having people stand on bus. But schools are getting by when manufacturer says 3 per seat. This is all true. I used to represent bus drivers and that was a problem. needed to have more buses on road in some areas.
A safety standard is not necessarily a law. it is a guideline. Very differnt. parents can make a difference if they will get together and go to the board and fight this. it takes community action.
Your parents can petition to have cameras on the buses which would help the bus driver by showing who the problem kids are and discipline could be doled out. Problem does exist if driver does not attempt to maintain contol. Driver has a duty to do that. Good luck to you. We tried as a union to stop the practice and to have proper number of buses. But it is a money issue with buses and drivers and the costs. Often there are buses that take kids who live less than a mile or so away. In some areas with money problems they have eliminated buses all together. Parents can drive kids to school. Kids can go on bicycles. Parents can pool rides. You need to get your parents support and tell them what is happening. You could ask them to go to school board to speak to this. You could talk to driver and get the name of their representative and see if you can contact them or if your parents will to try to get some support to approach the board to have only 2 per seat at high school level and 3 at elementary. Use the bigger kids and obesity issue for part of the argument as everyone knows we are growing bigger kids anymore. Take some photos if you can so you have some proof of what you say. Get the butts hanging out in the aisle or the aisles filled with backpacks or whatever. It is illegal to have objects in the aisles of the bus as that is a safety issue so get photos of that for your proof. Your local bus driver's union may welcome your support if your parents are involved. Many times the parents have more pull with a school board than the employees do. If the employees are not part of a union they have little say.
There are laws in most states on overcrowding of school buses. However, manufacturer of bus states how many in a seat and may be 3. Doesn't account for bigger students so if manufacturer says that 3 people are in a seat, then can stick out in aisles. Shouldn't be but they get by it that way.
May restrict from having people stand on bus. But schools are getting by when manufacturer says 3 per seat. This is all true. I used to represent bus drivers and that was a problem. needed to have more buses on road in some areas.
A safety standard is not necessarily a law. it is a guideline. Very differnt. parents can make a difference if they will get together and go to the board and fight this. it takes community action.
Your parents can petition to have cameras on the buses which would help the bus driver by showing who the problem kids are and discipline could be doled out. Problem does exist if driver does not attempt to maintain contol. Driver has a duty to do that. Good luck to you. We tried as a union to stop the practice and to have proper number of buses. But it is a money issue with buses and drivers and the costs. Often there are buses that take kids who live less than a mile or so away. In some areas with money problems they have eliminated buses all together. Parents can drive kids to school. Kids can go on bicycles. Parents can pool rides. You need to get your parents support and tell them what is happening. You could ask them to go to school board to speak to this. You could talk to driver and get the name of their representative and see if you can contact them or if your parents will to try to get some support to approach the board to have only 2 per seat at high school level and 3 at elementary. Use the bigger kids and obesity issue for part of the argument as everyone knows we are growing bigger kids anymore. Take some photos if you can so you have some proof of what you say. Get the butts hanging out in the aisle or the aisles filled with backpacks or whatever. It is illegal to have objects in the aisles of the bus as that is a safety issue so get photos of that for your proof. Your local bus driver's union may welcome your support if your parents are involved. Many times the parents have more pull with a school board than the employees do. If the employees are not part of a union they have little say.
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Title Post: New bulletproof backpacks: would you buy one?
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Rating: 95% based on 9768 ratings. 4,5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie
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