School Bans Backpacks

[Trae]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/backpacks-friend-or-foe

Alright, I usually am not a big fan of petitions, however, this one struck a chord with me. A school in Quakertown, PA banned backpacks. How can you ban one of the icons of school from... school? I can understand banning pocket knifes, lighters... hell, banning aerosol deodorant makes more sense than this.

[Guest Marty]

I don't mean to sound like a smart arse but what next? books, that you can carve out a hollow space and place a gun/knife in! This zero tolerance crap is getting out of hand.

[VicMan]

Unfortunately, internet petitions are worthless. People can easily "vote" more than once.

I found no news articles about the ban...

[pineda]

Kids in our local schools don't need or use backpacks anymore anyway. The school issues a set of books to the student on Registration Day, which takes place a week or so before school starts. That set of books goes home with the student and stays there, as their "home set". The teacher has another set in the classroom, which stays in there and doesn't go home with the students. So, really, the only things the students bring to school are a binder and maybe a lunch bag. It works out a LOT better than having the kids keep up with the books, and lugging loads of heavy books around in a backpack everyday. And, as a side benefit, the book manufacturers get to double their sales of textbooks to the district! (To think they might have been worried about technology in the classroom slowing sales of traditional textbooks!)

[VicMan]

Ah - my elementary school had lockers (a few classes didn't have them, and I teased an older girl in a 4th grade class with no lockers)

I remembered missing a bus in the 4th grade because I struggled carrying a binder and two textbooks (yeah, I was really weak back then) from the classroom in the T-buildings to the locker in the main building - Thankfully another bus driver agreed to take me to the nearby middle school, where I transferred to my actual bus (My bus went from River Oaks to Lanier before continuing onward; my sister and I shared the bus route).

[EastEnd Susan]

I remember when I was in school everyone carried a book satchel. It looked similar to a briefcase. Most of them were plaid. I went to Burnet, Jackson and Austin. There were lockers for each student at each school. Lockers are nice but I still carried almost every book I had with me from class to class because my locker was on the third floor. Too much distance to be exchanging books between classes.

I thought they were just going to change to clear backpacks so you could see what was in them. And now no backpacks at all? What next?

[TJones]

Kids in our local schools don't need or use backpacks anymore anyway. The school issues a set of books to the student on Registration Day, which takes place a week or so before school starts. That set of books goes home with the student and stays there, as their "home set". The teacher has another set in the classroom, which stays in there and doesn't go home with the students. So, really, the only things the students bring to school are a binder and maybe a lunch bag. It works out a LOT better than having the kids keep up with the books, and lugging loads of heavy books around in a backpack everyday. And, as a side benefit, the book manufacturers get to double their sales of textbooks to the district! (To think they might have been worried about technology in the classroom slowing sales of traditional textbooks!)

Unfortunately, HISD doesn't have THOSE kind of, well, let's just call them RESOURCES like TWISD, in order for everyone to have 2 sets of books, Pineda. C'mon, you know that already.

[pineda]

Unfortunately, HISD doesn't have THOSE kind of, well, let's just call them RESOURCES like TWISD, in order for everyone to have 2 sets of books, Pineda. C'mon, you know that already.

TJ-

You're right, of course, but this wasn't about HISD, it was about backpacks in PA. I was stating that in our district, we do things a little differently.

BTW, our district is Klein, not TWISD, which I'm guessing is supposed to stand for The Woodlands ISD.

Here's another new twist: starting next week, all students enrolled at Krimmel Intermediate will be issued computers. See link below for more information:

press release from Klein ISD regarding Krimmel computers

Edited August 24, 2007 by pineda

[EastEnd Susan]

Kids in our local schools don't need or use backpacks anymore anyway. The school issues a set of books to the student on Registration Day, which takes place a week or so before school starts. That set of books goes home with the student and stays there, as their "home set". The teacher has another set in the classroom, which stays in there and doesn't go home with the students. So, really, the only things the students bring to school are a binder and maybe a lunch bag. It works out a LOT better than having the kids keep up with the books, and lugging loads of heavy books around in a backpack everyday. And, as a side benefit, the book manufacturers get to double their sales of textbooks to the district! (To think they might have been worried about technology in the classroom slowing sales of traditional textbooks!)

Wow, thats a good way to do it. Then you wouldnt have the excuse of "I left my book at school" when you had to do homework. I think some classes at Deer Park have it set up that way.

Edited August 24, 2007 by EastEnd Susan

[KatieDidIt]

Kids in our local schools don't need or use backpacks anymore anyway. The school issues a set of books to the student on Registration Day, which takes place a week or so before school starts. That set of books goes home with the student and stays there, as their "home set". The teacher has another set in the classroom, which stays in there and doesn't go home with the students. So, really, the only things the students bring to school are a binder and maybe a lunch bag. It works out a LOT better than having the kids keep up with the books, and lugging loads of heavy books around in a backpack everyday. And, as a side benefit, the book manufacturers get to double their sales of textbooks to the district! (To think they might have been worried about technology in the classroom slowing sales of traditional textbooks!)

Wow that's neat and all (kinda a waste of money), but something in the back of my head is screaming, "This really doesn't help teach responsibility." Sometimes its a good life lesson to get and F or detetion because you weren't paying attention or weren't being responsible for yourself. I don't think you get multiple copies of projects from work to keep at home "just in case."

We are making life waaaaaaaaaaaay too easy on kids and then wonder why they slack off when they hit the real-job world. JMHO

Regaurding the backpacks: The world's gone overboard on the over protection, over coddling, over concern for people's feelings, etc. Bad kids are bad kids no matter if they carry a back pack or not. Backpack or no, they will get weapons to school if they wants weapons at school, simple. This is a total shutdown and over control of people's lives. Bowing down to the minority of bad people at the expense of the majority of good kids. All this over managment is creating a generation of whiney little whimps that can't handle being critisized or having someone else be better/faster/stronger than them because its not fair.

Edited August 24, 2007 by KatieDidIt

[pineda]

Katie-

Sure, I can see your point, too. But, when textbooks are so costly now, and the students (parents) are held responsible to pay for them if they get stolen or lost, it's kinda nice not to have to worry about them lugging them back and forth to school everyday.

Besides the cost, the weight of these books are a big consideration as well. When I worked Registration Day last week at our schools, kids are issued typically six to nine textbooks to take home. These books when carried in backpacks by the kids can add an additional weight that was enough to cause severe back pain, especially when the students don't have enough time between their classes to go to their lockers.

[KatieDidIt]

Katie-

Sure, I can see your point, too. But, when textbooks are so costly now, and the students (parents) are held responsible to pay for them if they get stolen or lost, it's kinda nice not to have to worry about them lugging them back and forth to school everyday.

Besides the cost, the weight of these books are a big consideration as well. When I worked Registration Day last week at our schools, kids are issued typically six to nine textbooks to take home. These books when carried in backpacks by the kids can add an additional weight that was enough to cause severe back pain, especially when the students don't have enough time between their classes to go to their lockers.

I understand the back pain issue, I remember high school-but I survived!

My kids lose a book, they pay for it. Of course the money indirectly comes from me from paying them to do the lawn. But its earned money and they feel the pain of the loss.

[MyHomeHouston]

They could also just enforce the mesh type backpacks that are see through, or if they really want to get ugly, the clear plastic kind.

[Saddleman]

In an effort to make all schools safe, starting this year, all students are banned from schools.

[musicman]

Alright, I usually am not a big fan of petitions, however, this one struck a chord with me. A school in Quakertown, PA banned backpacks. How can you ban one of the icons of school from... school? I can understand banning pocket knifes, lighters... hell, banning aerosol deodorant makes more sense than this.

next you know they'll be banning peanut butter.

[webdude]

How would they carry the books?

[musicman]

How would they carry the books?

in their hands and arms.

[webdude]

in their hands and arms.

Thats a lot of books to be balancing on hands and arms

[musicman]

Thats a lot of books to be balancing on hands and arms

I would put the ones i'm not using in my locker. have those been banned as well?

[livysmom]

FYI, they actually HAVE banned peanut butter from most preschools - including my daughter's. They say it is because they are afraid another kid with peanut allergies might get ahold of it somehow. Someone brought in Chick-fil-A for a Christmas lunch for the kids last year - they freaked out when they found out the chicken was cooked in peanut oil.

[VicMan]

IMO, I am glad that HISD does not issue laptops to all kids - I figure that some people may steal computers.

[Trae]

^^They probably would. That isn't a good idea.