Survivors Of The Parkland School Shooting Will Now Be Required To Wear Clear Backpacks
22 March 2018, 15:02
All student backpacks will need to be transparent at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida are still re-adjusting to their return to campus following a devastating mass shooting that claimed the lives of 17 students and staff.
Weeks after the tragic events of February 14th, reports indicate that Superintendent of Broward County schools, Robert W. Runcie, has announced that MSD students will be required to carry clear backpacks while on school property.
Presumably, mandating clear backpacks would help to ensure that weapons could not be carried onto campus or concealed inside bags. Students who do not have a clear backpack will be given one. Students will also be required to wear visible identification badges while on campus.
The New York Times reports that two MSD students were charged with carrying knives last week while the brother of the gunman (Nikolas Cruz) was recently arrested for trespassing on school grounds.
Since the shooting, student survivors and many of their parents have passionately argued for gun control legislation that would ban the type of weapon used in the massacre.
However, some of those students are not convinced that the new clear backpack policy addresses the problem of lax gun laws.
Great. Because clear backpacks are gonna fix everything. I appreciate the attempt, but I’d rather have common since gun laws than a clear backpack.
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) March 21, 2018
#NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough https://t.co/1HRudeSOib
Clear backpacks don't do anything except make us look stupid. We want to be safe, not uncomfortable. The only thing that can really have an impact on our safety is gun control
— Carly Novell (@car_nove) March 21, 2018
I know having clear backpacks will help with security, but now all my privacy will be gone. I wish it didn’t come to this. #StonemanDouglas #DouglasStrong #MSDStrong #MarchForOurLives #GreatMillsHighSchool #NeverAgain
— lizzie (@Lizziemcnichol) March 22, 2018
Enforcing students to wear clear backpacks is simply like putting a band-aid on a broken bone
— natasha #NeverAgain (@sighnatasha) March 22, 2018
The new policy is set to go into effect after Spring Break. School officials are also looking at modifying entry points and increasing surveillance in the coming months.
Meanwhile, student activists from the school have started a national movement in March For Our Lives. The group will march on Washington Saturday, March 24.