As part of a new safety measure for its students, several South Florida schools will be mandating that its students only use clear backpacks for the upcoming school year.
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South Florida Schools Mandating Students To Only Use Clear Backpacks As New Safety Measure
It is reported that in South Florida’s Broward County, the schools will be enforcing a new safety protocol for pre-K through grade 12 students returning to school in the fall of 2023.
In the effort to better protect and safeguard students and school staff members, officials with the Broward County School District have announced that only clear backpacks and bags will be allowed on all school campuses.
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It is reported that following the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the Broward County School District gave the school’s students clear backpacks as an experiment, but it only lasted a few weeks.
Further details about the new policy reveal that only clear bags like lunch boxes, fanny packs, purses, duffel bags, etc. are permitted. Any mesh or colored backpacks, even if they are transparent, will not be allowed.
The school district says that all contents within the clear bags need to be visible. The only exceptions permitted include: school-approved sport-specific carrying cases for athletic equipment and band equipment; thermal food containers carried inside clear lunch boxes; and small non-transparent pouches for personal hygiene items.
However, it is noted that the regulation will only apply to students, leaving teachers, staff, volunteers and other visitors free of the new policy — which is set to go into effect on the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, beginning on August 21.
It is reported that on Friday (May 5), the school board had a closed-door meeting with a security personnel, during which safety on campus was discussed, and this decision was finally made for clear backpacks needing to be worn by students.
Broward County School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff spoke out on the new policy and said, “It will be a force multiplier for our security staff to have so many people able to report suspicious items.”
Also speaking out was Broward County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Earlean Smiley, who said in a statement, “This added layer of security is a game-changer. It will allow school security personnel and everyone on campus to quickly spot and report if someone has brought a prohibited item to school, and it will also help serve as a deterrent.”
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