This is another point to add to the list of items on how schools are changing. For the sake of security, Wissahickon High School is banning cloth backpacks:

“If students walking between classes want to use a backpack, it must be made of clear plastic or mesh so its contents can be seen at a glance. Cloth backpacks can be carried into the school in the morning but must be stored in lockers.”

link: Baring your backpack to bolster school safety

One would assume that the traditional brown paper lunch bag will be banned soon. - It is not surprising that some students are objecting. It seems that, for the sake of security, general measures like this are taken. Perhaps the days when the teachers would know and would talk to students are relegated to the past. Today it seems to be a climate of fear. One Wissahickson student compared high schools to “prisons or police states”. That speaks to the alienation where everyone is suspect and rules replace personal dialog. And that’s sad.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]schools, security, backpacks, banned, teachers[/tags]