What Can My Child Take to School?

Every jurisdiction is going to be different and each school is going to have its own rules; however in most cases, it is going to be both unlawful and against school policies for your child to carry anything other than a personal safety alarm.

Pepper sprays, stun guns, and striking tools (like Kubotans) are all considered types of personal self defense tools which can cause harm and for this reason they are usually not allowed on school grounds. In some states, children can purchase pepper sprays at age 16 and stun guns at age 18. There are not many laws, if any, on Kubotan keychains.

I would encourage you to read your schools policy on what is considered a weapon and if in doubt, contact your school to inquire.

It is better to ask ahead of time than to have your child sent home and suspended from school in today’s zero tolerance society, which can have damaging social and emotional consequences.

It is for these reasons, we highly recommend personal safety alarms, like the Birdie for school-aged children. Not only does the Birdie have a 130 decibel siren, it also has a flashing strobe. Both can last up to 40 minutes, which is impressive. The primary idea behind the alarm is that it can alert others in the area that you are in trouble. If it doesn’t directly deter the attacker as a first line of defense, it may call for help as a secondary line of defense.

When your child is of college age, you may find that many college campuses and universities have loosened rules to allow for some self-defense products such as pepper sprays and / or stun guns. This is due to the high crime rate on campuses. Check with your child’s campus policies or campus police to see what self-defense tools are allowed on campus. It is also a good idea to make contact with university security and see what other security services they offer (on-campus emergency phones, night ride services or security escorts, on-campus security offices, or self-defense classes).