A N.J. school is getting armored shields to protect students and teachers in a mass shooting. Will others follow?

A South Jersey school district plans to equip its schools with a new tool: bullet-resistant portable shields to protect teachers and students in the event of an active shooter in the building.

The Gloucester City school system could be the first district to put the lightweight steel safety shields in its schools. Schools around the country have grappled with how to keep students and teachers safe from gun violence.

“A top priority for school districts today is to ensure parents that they’re sending their children to a place as safe as it can possibly be,” said School Superintendent Sean Gorman. “We’d be fools to ignore the real possibility that has come to America’s schools”

Leo Holt, president of Holt Logistics Corp. in Gloucester City, donated 250 shields to the district. He purchased 500 shields from Hardwire LLC, a Pocomoke City, Md.-based company that manufactures hard body armor and other bulletproof products. The 22-pound shields cost about $300 each.

Holt, who runs the family-owned cargo business on the Delaware River waterfront just across from Philadelphia, said he got the idea to donate the shields after purchasing faceshields from Hardwire during the pandemic to protect employees “from a different kind of a threat.”

“We believe this is a very viable and worthwhile layer of proection for schools to have,” Holt said. “We’re encouraging folks to do this.”

Holt said it was a coincidence that the announcement was made on the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., one of the nation’s worst school shootings, in which 20 students and six educators were killed.

“Today is a very gruesome anniversary,” Holt said, choking back tears.

During a live-fire demonstration Wednesday at the Holt compound, two Gloucester City police officers each fired three rounds from a .45 caliber handgun and a long rifle at the shield. The bullets ricocheted but didn’t penetrate the bright orange shield.

“It’s all about keeping our kids and teachers safe,” said Gloucester City Police Chief Brian Morrell. “It’s sad that it’s come to this.”

Morrell said the shield could be used as protection by a teacher or student to herd students to safety inside a classroom or escort them outside. They will be mounted on walls near fire extinguishers, he said.

This year, 48 school shootings have resulted in injuries or deaths, according to Education Week. That’s the most since the group began tracking shootings in 2018.

Kenneth Trump, a national school safety and security expert, said the shields were “well intentioned” but not practical. He was unaware of the shields being used in any other schools. Some parents have purchased bulletproof backpacks and vests for their children.

“When you start introducing this to students and teachers, you’ve crossed over the line of what’s reasonable,” Trump said. “It risks becoming mere security theater.”

Trump said schools would be better served by focusing on more training and implementing policies such as regular lockdown training. Some schools have antiquated public address systems which could hamper an emergency response, he said.

Gloucester City school officials and other law enforcement officers said the shields were a welcome addition to other security measures already in place. The K-12 district enrolls nearly 2,200 students in elementary, middle, and high schools. During the 2020-2021 school year, the latest data available from the New Jersey School Performance Report, no incidents involving guns or violence were reported to police.

The shields will be installed in the coming weeks in every school in the district. During a training demonstration Wednesday at Gloucester City High School, which will get three dozen shields, police showed school officials how to effectively use them.

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Teacher Kevin Young said he considers keeping his students safe part of his responsibilities. He said the shield was sturdy and easy to handle.

“Obviously, any tool that we can get to make the school and the students safer, we will take it,” said Young, a teacher for nine years. “I would definitely jump on the opportunity to use it should the emergency ever arise. You have to be ready.”

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The shields piqued the interest Wednesday of several law enforcement agencies, including the New Jersey State Police, Philadelphia SWAT unit, and other institutions that sent representatives to watch the demonstrations. Cooper Hospital officials said they were considering providing them to desk security officers.

Holt said he plans to donate the remaining 250 shields. Schools elsewhere in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have contacted him.

“Why is my family doing this? If you’re an American family, how can you not?” said Holt. ”It’s very simple.”