@ Banning Backpacks

[rubytue]

Anyone remember those old book straps? Like a belt that held your books together? Not that I ever had or used one, but remember them from like 80s reruns of Leave it to Beaver type crap. So I’m guessing all those boomer lawmakers were like, whelp, worked for us, never mind book sizes these days.

[dcrunnergirl52]

I completely agree that this isn't an answers to the gun problem, but just to add that my kids' secondary school (so grades 7-12) doesn't allow backpacks except to bring items to and from school. No backpacks allowed in classrooms or hallways during the day due to space issues. The kids can carry the zipper binders with their chromebooks or very slim laptop bags. They don't have any textbooks or reading books (like novels for English class). Each kid has a locker, but most kids don't use them. It helps that our school only has four periods/blocks per day and alternate days, so they don't need to carry 8 classes worth of stuff around.

[sonrisa]

At DD's School they end up carrying these huge, backpack sized binders from case logic instead. it's ridiculous and terrible for their backs.

[goldengirlz]

This would put on a Band-Aid on solving the problem of kids gunning down kids in schools. But how will we stop the problem adults of breaking into schools and gunning down kids?

[basilosaurus]

May 3, 2023 12:28:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

This would put on a Band-Aid on solving the problem of kids gunning down kids in schools. But how will we stop the problem adults of breaking into schools and gunning down kids?

What makes the news are the mass shootings of some adult, a former student, a parent. And, yes, that's absolutely awful.

But there are thousands of gun incidents in schools that never make the news. I think this is to address that.

[Jalapeñomel]

May 3, 2023 12:28:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

This would put on a Band-Aid on solving the problem of kids gunning down kids in schools. But how will we stop the problem adults of breaking into schools and gunning down kids?

Kids can hide all kinds of things in pants, sweatshirts, jackets, etc., so I don't think banning backpacks really does anything at all (but maybe I'm wrong about that, I don't know). 

[mpm]

May 3, 2023 12:02:28 GMT -5 dcrunnergirl52 said:

I completely agree that this isn't an answers to the gun problem, but just to add that my kids' secondary school (so grades 7-12) doesn't allow backpacks except to bring items to and from school. No backpacks allowed in classrooms or hallways during the day due to space issues.

This was how it was when I was in school in the late 90s/early 2000s. It was explained that having backpacks cluttering the classroom was a risk should an emergency exit need to be made.

[sonrisa]

May 3, 2023 12:28:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

This would put on a Band-Aid on solving the problem of kids gunning down kids in schools. But how will we stop the problem adults of breaking into schools and gunning down kids?

It doesn't do even that. My kid's binder is huge. You could easily fit something in there. 

[neverfstop]

Related- do you still have lockers in schools? They removed them from Jr & Sr High school here (except for gym/athletic lockers). The rational was they kids don't need them.

My kids are in elementary & it feels like they do 90% of their work on their chromebook, which I hate.

[goldengirlz]

May 3, 2023 15:05:12 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

May 3, 2023 12:28:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

This would put on a Band-Aid on solving the problem of kids gunning down kids in schools. But how will we stop the problem adults of breaking into schools and gunning down kids?

What makes the news are the mass shootings of some adult, a former student, a parent. And, yes, that's absolutely awful.

But there are thousands of gun incidents in schools that never make the news. I think this is to address that.

I mean, I realize that. I was being a bit snarky about the magnitude of the problem. You’re surely right that kids shooting other kids is the bulk of it, and adults shooting kids is comparatively rare. But just writing that out makes me want to throw up.

[Jalapeñomel]

May 3, 2023 17:06:03 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Related- do you still have lockers in schools? They removed them from Jr & Sr High school here (except for gym/athletic lockers). The rational was they kids don't need them.

My kids are in elementary & it feels like they do 90% of their work on their chromebook, which I hate.

Yes our schools have lockers.

[mrspez07]

May 3, 2023 17:06:03 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Related- do you still have lockers in schools? They removed them from Jr & Sr High school here (except for gym/athletic lockers). The rational was they kids don't need them.

My kids are in elementary & it feels like they do 90% of their work on their chromebook, which I hate.

Ours still have them in the MS but they don’t have them use them, they carry everything around in their….backpacks. The lockers were more problematic with time management and behavior is their reasoning

[abs]

May 3, 2023 17:06:03 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Related- do you still have lockers in schools? They removed them from Jr & Sr High school here (except for gym/athletic lockers). The rational was they kids don't need them.

My kids are in elementary & it feels like they do 90% of their work on their chromebook, which I hate.

Yes but they only have 4 minutes in between classes and have zero time to use their lockers. So they carry around 20 pound backpacks. (Literally. I weighed it).

Banning backpacks is dumb. Ban guns.

[katfco]

My middle school does not use lockers. We have them, but they're all locked up. Kids have to carry everything with them--coats, instruments, lunch bags, etc. Many teachers, myself included, will allow kids to stash a bag or coat in their room until the end of the day.

Like Jalapeñomel said, kids will stuff all sorts of things in their pockets. I've seen kids with phones, a bag of chips, a bag of candy, and a drink bottle all in their hoddie pockets.

This is a "do something" action: they're taking action so they look like they're trying to fix the problem even though it won't do a thing to solve it. I would rather they put effort into actively shaming and voting out every Republican, well, in the nation.

[pugz]

A kid in our district accidentally brought a gun to school this week because a parent stashed a gun in a backpack and the kid grabbed the wrong one (not sure if they were identical backpacks or what). I want the parents fined for this. And that poor kid I'm sure felt awful.