The Rise and Fall of Drawstring BAgs

The Rise and Fall of Drawstring Bags

By Jaron Feder

In addition to rules related to Covid-safety, Woodmere Middle School implemented a no backpack policy from day one. Instead, students are required to keep all of their belongings in a drawstring bag including: Chromebook, books, binders, and lunch. The idea behind this is that drawstring bags take up less space in the classroom. Now that students no longer have the ability to use a locker, classrooms are filled with backpacks and jackets, it is believed that drawstring bags help with the clutter.

While the school clearly established this rule of no regular backpacks, when looking around the classrooms, it is clear that many students have decided to disobey the rule.

Many kids have started to bring backpacks, and soon, almost every student had a backpack.“I had a drawstring backpack before, it is the worst,” 6th grader Julian Gupta said. “There is no space and it is very cramped in there. Backpacks are better.”

Other students have turned to regular backpacks because they feel that the drawstring bags are not sturdy enough to carry everything they need to school.

Julian Gupta agrees that the school may have good reason to institute the rule. “I think it was important because they expected us to take little stuff and if we took a backpack, it was going to lead to bringing a lot of stuff and making your backpack too heavy.”