Georgia Teacher's Invention Designed to Keep Bad Guys Out of Classroom

A simple device invented by a Dacula, Ga., middle-school teacher could mean safer classrooms during times when students are in danger.

Celisa Edwards, who teachers seventh grade at Dacula Middle School, developed the Portable Affordable Lockdown Systems (PALS for short), a device made up of steel cable that prevents a classroom door from being entered by an intruder.

It works by slipping a loop on one end over the door handle, and securing a clip on the other end to the wall. Edwards has a patent pending on the device, which runs about $70.

Edwards said the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in 2012 kept her awake at night thinking about what she could do.

“Then it just came to my mind,” Edwards told CBS 46. “Just make it so they can’t get in.”

Edwards said it takes about 38 seconds to secure the device to the door handle.

“I want this to be in every single school or classroom in America because it’s the only thing that’s quick and easy,” she told the Gwinnett Daily Post, which said the Gwinnett County Public Schools’ safety committee is reviewing PALS.

TheBlaze.com said PALS is similar in concept to The Sleave, a steel device invented by an Iowa teacher. The Sleave fits over the door’s closer arm, and runs about $65.

(Photo: WGCL-TV)