ELDRIDGE, Iowa — A new solution for keeping students safe recently went viral on social media.
West Elementary School in Cullman, Alabama, about 45 minutes north of Birmingham, is the first to use two Rapid Access Safe Rooms designed by KT Solutions.
The shelter is made of two walls that roll on casters. The current design has dry-erase boards on both sides, but can be fitted with different items like TVs or smart boards.
The company says it can be unfolded in 10 seconds to create a bulletproof safe room and the teacher locks the door on the inside.
The big catch however is the price tag — each unit costs $60,000.
News 8's Jonathan Fong spoke with school districts and law enforcement in the Quad Cities area, who are impressed by the product but have their share of concerns.
"I am very intrigued by what it is and the compatibility of it, to fit it into the classroom," North Scott Community School District safety coordinator Aaron Schwartz said.
He said he's always considering the best ways to keep students safe, as he hosted an active shooter training event last summer.
"I wanna make sure that our entire building is safe, and our entire building has the same opportunities should there be an event," Schwartz said.
The price is his main problem, however.
"Iowa has helped us with a grant recently, which is $50,000 per building, per year, but that doesn't even pay for one of these, so it's very cost-prohibitive at this time," Schwartz said.
From the perspective of law enforcement, Clinton Police Chief Kevin Gyrion said he sees the value in the new shelter.
"The protection of our children is one of the utmost responsibilities that we have, it's just sad that we have to think about things and take these precautions, but if they save children's lives, it's worth it," Gyrion said. "Any time you can protect somebody from bullets or gunfire it's a good thing."
He voiced concerns about how the shelter might go against training already done for students, teachers and police.
"God forbid that you have an event, and they react wrong because of this piece of equipment, or they disregard their training because this piece of equipment, and they altered their response and something bad happens," Gyrion said. "That would be my concern with it."
News 8 also talked with Kevin 'KT' Thomas, president and CEO of KT Solutions and the inventor of the shelter.
"What we wanted to make sure is that we're working on the concern of the parents and not the agenda of politicians," Thomas said.
He explained that his company has built military equipment for over 20 years, but after the tragedy in Uvalde, his wife and five grandchildren inspired him to invent the shelter.
"After seeing the interviews and parents and spouses asking, 'please don't let this be for nothing, right?' and my wife said, we need to fix this," Thomas said.
He also explained the high price tag comes from the cost of ballistic material, which is rated to withstand .308 caliber rounds. That high level of protection makes it expensive.
"We will get the price driven down, one — from the corporate level of our strategic partners, And then two - from the funding side because this is a safety issue, not an education issue," Thomas said.
While the two shelters being used in Alabama are the first units sold, Thomas said the company is ready to take orders and build more.
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