Opinion

No Backpacks in Schools… Why?

Kiley Clarquist, Bait Host | 04/08/2022

During the 2020-2021 school year, when COVID was still prevalent and in-person learning was slowly being adapted once again, a new rule was introduced to Pewaukee: backpacks are allowed to be carried throughout the school day. This was introduced to minimize the time spent at lockers and in the hallways, looking to halt the spread of disease. This year, that rule was once again revoked. Why?

As stated in the Student/Parent Handbook, which was last updated in summer of 2021, “To maintain a safe environment where illegal or inappropriate materials are not transported into classrooms, students are not allowed to carry backpacks during the school day to and from classes. Backpacks must remain in the student’s assigned locker during the school day.”

To combat having to carry our school-provided computers, we were given computer bags with 2 compartments: a larger one for the computer, and a smaller pocket to carry personal belongings.

Mr. Roberts, the Dean of Students, revealed that the backpack rule is slightly larger than just the school district. “I am not exactly sure when the no-backpack rule was put in place, but it has been here since I began teaching in 2010”.

When asked if the rule was created in conjunction with anyone else, he had stated, “The Pewaukee Police Department have asked this rule be in place for safety purposes. Last year was a 1-year pause due to COVID, to create less hallway interaction. (PHS) went back to the rule because of safety concerns, as well as the police asking us to…”

I then asked if this was a topic that was ever subject to change, and who to talk to if a student wanted to have this conversation again. “There was discussion about the policy this year, however with nationwide situations, the police pushed it to be in place again. We never brought it officially to the board, we just agreed as a district to reinstate the rule…”

“As for this being a discussion this upcoming year, most likely not. Not much data has changed with it, and there is no evidence that suggests that backpacks increase academic achievement”. Roberts stated that he, and PHS, are most importantly looking to keep all students safe and happy.

Roberts also suggested that I look into an interesting school shooting case that was fairly recent: the Oxford High School shooting, near Detroit, Michigan. This occured in November of 2021, where a student opened fire with a gun carried in his backpack.

While he was charged with 24 crimes, including murder and terrorism, his parents were also charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure the handgun used in the shooting. After Roberts and I had briefly discussed this, we both agreed that, “The backpack rule is much larger and complicated than just a Pewaukee School District issue”.

To add to the complications, there is evidence that suggests that the backpack rule does not do much in preventing school shootings or drug use.

Many schools nationwide adopted a form of backpack restriction after the Parkland shooting of February 2018, where the concern was carrying weapons. Some schools banned them entirely, and some opted for clear backpacks. This was met with intense backlash from students, parents, and teachers alike.

In 2018, there were 24 instances of school shootings. 2019 also saw 24 instances, according to Education Week, an organization that reports on nationwide educational news. A decrease was found in 2020 and 2021, yet that was explained by COVID and most schools being virtual for portions of the school year.

As for 2022, there have been 18 school shootings thus far, with 14 of these occurring outside of the school or after school hours during an event. No substantial decrease in nationwide school shootings has been found in correlation with lack of backpacks in classrooms.

No evidence has been found that banning backpacks has decreased drug use in schools either. In fact, drug abuse in schools has increased since 2018, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

Drug use amongst teens is most closely linked to their parents- as found by the National Library of Medicine, “Children of substance abusing parents are more than twice as likely to have an alcohol and/or drug use disorder themselves by young adulthood as compared to their peers”

Substance abuse and violence in schools is both a touchy and complicated subject. It is surrounded by tons of conflicting data, opinions and perspectives. Is there a right answer as to what schools should do? Is banning a bag actually protecting youth, or is it a cover for a larger, nationwide issue?