As we all know, clear backpacks are being enforced for the first time ever this year for safety measures. There are also daily bag searches as soon as students come through the main doors of the B building or the doors of the field house. The school didn’t provide free backpacks so students were left with buying the very small school backpacks or looking on Amazon or department stores.

I had already had my backpack that I purchased for the 2020-2021 school year, but since we were virtual I planned on using it this year. Then the school board made the decision that all students who attended secondary school must have a clear backpack and all athletic bags were needed to be clear. Most clear backpacks are not as big as normal ones, and students can’t fit much in them. The biggest clear bag my family could find was on Amazon, and I can only fit a 3- inch binder and my Chromebook case in the big pocket, anything other than that I have to carry.

Later on, after the notification was sent out about the clear backpack policy, the administration sent out another email about a morning routine of daily bag searches and walking through a metal detector. Walking through a metal detector makes sense but the bag checking? If our bags are already clear why do they need to be unzipped and searched through? That defeats the purpose of even having clear backpacks, and 90% of the time the teachers completing checks don’t even look, they just slide it down the table. It’s simply just a waste of time for students and the staff that take part in it. 

The female population of the school is also at a disadvantage because of feminine products that have to be brought to school. Now that clear backpacks are a must, you can see EVERYTHING stored in it. Even putting them in a separate zip-up bag then in your backpack doesn’t really help because then it’s obvious. The amount of times I’ve been asked “What’s in that bag?” is uncountable. Not only by the teachers doing the searches but also other students. While the zip- up bag hasn’t been searched through yet, it’s still embarrassing to some females to have to say “I have pads, tampons, and a backup pair of underwear in there” out loud. 

The clear bags also break. We’re expected to carry books, binders and a Chromebook in them when they are literally made of plastic. Plastic bags are not meant for carrying the materials some high school students have to carry. They aren’t durable, strong or big enough to hold everything one may need to bring to school everyday. 

Junior Mykenzi Doran has experienced many problems with hers.

“I’ve replaced my backpack at least six or seven times within the last few months; it’s crazy. I understand why we need the backpacks to be clear; however, I believe they should definitely be made of a more sturdy material. The school backpacks are fine, I have room for everything needed right now, but I’ve had an array of problems with them just from that alone. Like straps breaking off, zippers not working, even holes forming in the plastic material because of needing to fit everything in and I even have to constantly downsize what I’m carrying to make sure it doesn’t break as fast. I used to have a very organized binder, my Chromebook and emergency stuff but now that’s now two folders and my Chromebook,” Doran said. 

Understandably, the administration is trying to keep the students safe, but the modifications they’re putting in place should make sense and should be made to be less of a hassle not only for the students, but for the staff as well.