In a rush to tighten security as the school year winds down, more districts are banning clear backpacks along with the standard canvas and nylon models.
As most administrators know, schools have been barring backpacks for years to prevent students from concealing weapons and other potentially problematic objects. Many districts allowed students to switch to clear backpacks which made all the content much more visible, but that’s no longer a viable solution, say leaders who are hoping to head off the annual rise in behavioral incidents in the final weeks of school.
Students in Flint Community Schools in Michigan are now prohibited from bringing any backpacks to school for at least the rest of the school year. Flint’s decision was made in response to nationwide increases in threatening behavior and students carrying “contraband” into their schools, Superintendent Kevelin Jones said last week in a message to the community.
“Backpacks make it easier for students to hide weapons, which can be disassembled and harder to identify or hidden in pockets, inside books or under other items,” Jones wrote. “Clear backpacks do not completely fix this issue.”
Students in Flint can still bring small purses to carry hygiene products, wallets, keys and phones. They are also allowed to bring clear plastic bags with gym clothes, and lunchboxes “will be allowed within reason.” “We take threats against our school community and weapons brought onto school property very seriously, and parents and scholars should understand there are legal ramifications to both of these actions,” Jones added. “We encourage all family members to continue an open dialogue with our scholars about their safety concerns and well-being.”
DeSoto ISD in the Dallas, Texas suburbs has implemented a no-backpack policy for 6th-12th graders through the last day of school. Administrators said they want “to ensure that our scholars are positioned to soar through the end of the school year.”
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“There generally is an uptick in activity of concern, whether that may be altercations, security threats, intruders,” DeSoto ISD Chief Communications Officer Tiffanie Blackmon told CBS Texas. “Whether it’s Pokémon cards or shaving cream or water balloons, we want to make sure the kids are not bringing items that could be a distraction to the school setting.”
Last summer, Knox County Schools in Kentucky banned backpacks, briefcases and duffel bags in its middle and high schools beginning in the 2022-23 school year. “Backpacks, and forms of backpacks, are just one article that may warrant a safety concern and be considered prohibited by school administrators,” the district said at the time.
Where clear backpacks are still the solution
Corpus Christi ISD will allow only clear backpacks in the 2023-24 school year. Students are permitted to carry in their backpacks a pouch—no larger than 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches—to hold personal items.
“We acknowledge that clear backpacks alone will not eliminate safety concerns,” the district said. “This is merely one of several steps in the district’s comprehensive plan to better ensure student and staff safety.”
Cleveland ISD, also in Texas, is requiring clear backpacks after administrators and law enforcement investigated a “serious” threat at the district’s middle school last month, Superintendent Stephen W. McCanless said in a video message. He did not provide many details about the threat but said a student has been suspended for several months.
