Prince George's County Public Schools plans to hand out 10,000 clear backpacks to students as part of new safety measures announced by schools CEO Millard House Tuesday.
Next school year, students in high school and middle school in the county will be asked to carry see-through backpacks so the contents are visible.
A recent high school graduate said his school tried to implement see-through backpacks, but it didn’t work very well.
“The principal would be telling us to wear the clear backpacks, but it’s like the students didn’t really [go by] the rules,” he said. “And I feel like the clear backpack rule would have actually helped.”
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Some school districts have already mandated clear backpacks, including in Texas after the school shooting in Uvalde. A school district in Florida reversed course due to parent backlash.
Jaclyn Schildkraut of the Rockefeller Institute of Government said it doesn’t address the real issue of gun violence.
“We really haven’t seen any evidence that clear backpacks do anything to dissuade students from bringing weapons or other contraband into schools, but messaging that it sends to students when that hasn’t been in place before is either we don’t think your school is safe or we don’t trust you,” she said.
Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland, news updates, events and information
Then there’s the issue of cost and availability of the clear backpacks, which is why the school system plans to hand out 10,000 clear backpacks at back-to-school events before the start of the schoolyear next month.
No student will be turned away for not having the proper backpack.
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