As today’s students take on more and more classes and activities than ever before, they often purchase one of the most popular items to help them carry around the materials they need: a backpack. Parents, however, may worry that the weight of these backpacks may cause problems for their children. By evaluating the pros and cons of allowing students to carry backpacks in school, teachers, administrators and parents can make a decision in the best interests of the children. Show
Explore this article1 Pro: OrganizationStudents with many classes and heavy coursework will often have at least one textbook, a notebook, a folder and other various supplies (from calculators to art materials) for each class. When they have to sift through their lockers to find materials for various classes throughout the day, it can be time-consuming, confusing and inefficient. Backpacks allow students to find what they need and organize it ahead of time. In addition, they often have separate pockets for things like pencils and calculators, helping students find the materials they require in a matter of seconds. 2 Pro: TimingBecause students may have as many as eight or nine classes throughout their school day, it does not make sense for them to keep returning to their lockers to search for the books for their upcoming classes. This would lead to a greater pause between classes and less time actually spent learning. Having a backpack allows students to store materials for three or four classes at once, allowing them to stop by their lockers before school, at lunch or mid-day, and at the end of the day, keeping them productive and preventing them from wasting time. 3 Con: ContrabandThe sheer size of many backpacks means that they make a portable hiding place for children as they go about their school day. Unlike with lockers, school administrators are much less likely to conduct random backpack searches to look for contraband. Therefore, backpacks can make a hiding place for everything from drugs and alcohol to prohibited cell phones. Moreover, teachers and administrators are unlikely to be aware of these items, as they are hidden in students’ backpacks. 4 Con: HealthThe health effects of using backpacks can be serious and long-lasting. A heavy backpack can put pressure on a student's back and spine, affecting his muscles, posture and skeletal health. By purchasing backpacks with padded shoulder straps and ergonomic construction, students can avoid these problems; however, most students do not use these features, even when they are available, and prefer to wear the backpacks in the most comfortable or fashionable way, rather than how they were originally intended to be worn. Even though the pandemic and remote learning has stalled school shootings across the US, there have still been 16 of them in 2021. However, the country seems to be prepared to do anything but take away guns from its citizens. Recently, four schools in Rigby, Idaho, banned backpacks from their halls after a 13-year-old student was found with a gun in hers. Monica Pauley, a spokeswoman for Jefferson School District 251, said this rule applies to Rigby Middle School, Farnsworth Middle School, and both Rigby and Jefferson High Schools. “Elementary schools will still be able to have backpacks,” Pauley explained. “We are doing this as a precautionary measure.” Like in some sort of dystopian novel, students who have to adhere to this new policy have been improvising with laundry baskets, shopping carts, and other random items.  Students were reportedly asked to carry their books to the school and place them in their lockers. Teachers and administrators are planning to assist students where needed. School District Superintendent Chad Martin issued a press release on the matter: “We ask our parents to partner with us in keeping all of our students safe. Please keep your firearms safe and inaccessible to students. If you notice changes in your student’s behavior, attire, or personality notify us so we can help your student,” he said. The last school shooting in the area took place in May when two students and one adult suffered non-life-threatening injuries at Rigby Middle School. Then, a 6th-grade student pulled a handgun out of her backpack and started shooting in a hallway before going outside, said Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson. Luckily, math teacher Krista Gneiting was there to stop her. Gneiting was preparing her students for their final exams when she said she heard a gunshot. She said she looked outside her classroom and saw the school’s janitor lying on the floor in the hallway. The teacher shut the door as she heard two more shots. “I just told my students, ‘We are going to leave, we’re going to run to the high school, you’re going to run hard, you’re not going to look back, and now is the time to get up and go,'” Gneiting recalled during an exclusive interview with ABC News. The girl shot another victim in the hallway before moving outside and shooting the third victim. Gneiting was helping one of the students who had been shot when she saw a girl holding a gun. “It was a little girl and my brain couldn’t quite grasp that,” she said. “I just knew when I saw that gun, I had to get the gun.” Gneiting looked at the girl and asked, “Are you the shooter?” “I just walked up to her and I put my hand over her hand, I just slowly pulled the gun out of her hand and she allowed me to,” the teacher said. “She didn’t give it to me but she didn’t fight. And then after I got the gun, I just pulled her into a hug because I thought, this little girl has a mom somewhere that doesn’t realize she’s having a breakdown and she’s hurting people.”
Education officials are forbidding their students from using bags and purses while on school grounds in other parts of the country, too. KPIX5 reported that high schools in Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and other states have all sent word to parents that their children will have to find other ways to carry their books this fall. These two TikToks have been viewed nearly 9 million times
And people can’t believe what they’re seeingWhy can't we bring backpacks to school?The concerns centered around two items: health and safety. There was, and is, growing concern about the amount of weight from backpacks and the impact on the long term health of our students with regards to neck, back, and knee issues. Second, the backpacks were a safety issue in the hallways.
Should students be allowed to have backpacks?Having backpacks in class would benefit both students and teachers. For starters, students wouldn't have to worry about going to lockers, which would prevent them from being tardy. It takes lots of time to go through the hallways to retrieve class items and still get to classes on time.
Why are backpacks better than lockers?You can get ahead of the game, so you won't have to worry about being behind. In conclusion, backpacks are easier to use than lockers are. If you have a backpack you won't be late for your next class. You won't get detention because you are not late.
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Why are backpacks not allowed in school?
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