The Pennsylvania school district says it's partially 'symbolic.'
Teachers in a Pennsylvania school district are arming themselves in the wake of the horrific Parkland school shooting, but not with guns.
Some 500 teachers in Millcreek Schools, located outside Erie, are being given miniature baseball bats for what officials are calling the "last resort" in a shooting following the February 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"We passed them out, with the goal being we wanted every room to have one of these," Millcreek Schools Superintendent William Hall told local CBS affiliate WSEE. "Unfortunately, we're in a day and age where one might need to use them to protect ourselves and our kids."
The black, 16-inch bats were distributed to each teacher following a training on how to respond to school shootings.
The move came after not just horrific Florida shooting, but also following President Trump's own suggestions that teachers should be armed to prepare for active shooters.
The Millcreek School District conducted an online survey to determine whether the public supports the idea of arming select staff members with guns if it becomes legal in Pennsylvania, according to CBS News.
"It was about 70 percent to 30 percent that people would favor that," Hall said. "But we're not really actively planning that right now."
Hall says the bats cost about $1,800 in total.
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