Missouri’s new Senate Bill 68, while primarily focused on elementary and secondary education reforms, continues the trend of reinforcing schools with window film.
Under Section 160.663 of the bill, school districts and charter schools must install bullet-resistant window film on the glass of exterior doors or entryways. This mandate is part of a broader school safety initiative, which includes anti-intruder door locks.
The bill dictates that all new school doors installed after Aug. 28, 2025, incorporate these security features. Existing doors must be retrofitted with security window film by July 1, 2029, pending state appropriation. Schools may also receive donations of materials or funds for the purchase and installation of the required window film.
As noted in several recent USGlass articles, window film does not stop bullets from penetrating the glass. The film is designed to hold shattered glass together, delaying forced entry and providing additional time for occupants to react. Tests have demonstrated that while the film may prevent glass from shattering, it does not stop bullets from penetrating.
USGlass magazine recently published a feature article discussing why lawmakers continuously turn to window film instead of bullet-resistant glazing. The reasons range from a lack of understanding of window film’s limitations to cost concerns.
“We haven’t effectively communicated that security can be achieved at different levels and that we should be looking at the issue from a system perspective, not just the glass,” says John Rovi, a national account manager (K-12) at Dallas-based Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope. “Most people still refer to bullet-resistant glass as ‘bulletproof’ when we as an industry know that ‘bulletproof’ doesn’t exist. Similarly, we must collectively educate people on the differences between bullet-resistant, forced-entry-resistant, and even film. That is where the standards are useful because they look at what each product can achieve.”
Clear-Armor is a patented bullet-resistant glass laminate that is third party tested and proven. I have seen multiple demonstrations and it does stop bullets.