In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers, a Michigan company has come up with an innovative lockdown and alert system. And school officials from around the country say they want them.
Last year, there were 34 school shootings across the country. That has parents and educators everywhere looking for ways to keep students safe. The Lockout Company has an answer – The SmartBoot.
The SmartBoot is a metal barrier that sits on the wall next to a classroom door until its needed. Then it can easily be placed at the base of the door into two reinforced holes making the door nearly impenetrable.
Brenann Couturier-Woodruff, the CEO of the company says, “Our product will support over 16,000 lbs of pressure, so if a gunman tried to attack that room that has the product —they virtually will never get through.”
The idea for the smartboot came from a real life frightening event.
Back in 2009, during Thanksgiving break, Brenann was running outdoors when she was attacked by a stranger. She managed to fend him off and report the incident to the police.
Brennan’s father Robert was on hand when police were apprehending the man. That’s where he got the idea for The Boot. When the attacker was trying to get away from Robert and law enforcement, he barricaded himself in an apartment building and positioned himself on the floor with his boot up against the bottom of the door making it hard to breach.
She says a total of 41 districts in Michigan have the entire SmartBoot system and now many more around the country are calling asking about the system.