(Photo: WSEE-TV)

At first glance, it may seem like a joke to some. But a Pennsylvania school district is giving its 500 teachers weapons to fight off would-be school shooters – and those weapons are little wooden baseball bats that aren’t much longer than a ruler.

“It is the last resort,” Millcreek Schools Superintendent William Hall told WSEE-TV, “but it is an option and something we want people to be aware of.”

Hall told the news station that each teacher received a 16-inch bat after an in-service training day teaching them how to respond to school shootings. The bats cost the district about $1,800.

“We passed them out, with the goal being we wanted every room to have one of these,” he explained. “Unfortunately, we’re in a day and age where one might need to use them to protect ourselves and our kids.”

While Hall called the bats “symbolic,” he also