<p>My school doesn’t ban backpacks. Then again, I go to a school of less than 400 students and we rarely have any security problems other than a couple fights every year.</p>
<p>I couldn’t imagine not having a backpack. One’s locker often ends up on one of the ends of the school, and it’s almost impossible to get to between every class, so I usually only go to my locker twice a day or so.</p>
<p>I usually have at least four large textbooks and a few large binders in my locker and everything else (notebooks, paper, folders, etc) in my book bag.</p>
<p>I guess it’s because my school doesn’t have a classroom set of books for every class. They try to, but we’re not particularly rich, so we can’t afford enough books for two sets for everyone.</p>
<p>As for congestion, my school has one rather narrow hallway, so it’d be even more congested if every single student had to use their lockers between classes.</p>
<p>My school used to allow students to carry backpacks from class to class, but then my math teacher tripped over someone’s backpack and got hurt. No more backpacks.</p>
<p>Yet another reason to not allow them. Our students all have lockers as well so there’s really no reason they should need a backpack during the day.</p>
<p>My son started middle school this year…drum role…NO BACKPACKS!</p>
<p>The teacher I questioned cited a “behavior” rule but so far has not been able to provide me an official school or school board rule that stipulates this.</p>
<p>I am questioning the policy due to the fact that they are also limited as to when they have access to school supplies in their lockers. It would be another story if they had access between classes.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who attended Jr. and Sr. High back before backpacks existed? We carried our books, folders, and notebooks too and from school in our bare hands. Usually with a musical instrument case (and for the girls a purse) as well. Granted, our books were smaller, and we did actually leave stuff in our lockers in those days.</p>
<p>Happykid’s MS required that they leave their backpacks in their lockers. They were trained (very carefully) to use ONE binder with sections for each class. Her HS has been undergoing continual remodeling during her years there, so she just drags her backpack, lunchbag, winter coat, etc. etc. everywhere with her all day long. It’s not that there are no lockers, it’s just that there isn’t enough time to get there to pick up your coat at the end of the day and still catch the school bus. Not to mention that when moving from one wing of the building to another often the quickest way is by detouring around the exterior in the rain or snow.</p>
<p>this is not new… my middle school didn’t allow backpacks during the day when I was there (98-00). The high school did, and I never used my locker in 4 years of HS.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who attended Jr. and Sr. High back before backpacks existed? We carried our books, folders, and notebooks too and from school in our bare hands. Usually with a musical instrument case (and for the girls a purse) as well. Granted, our books were smaller, and we did actually leave stuff in our lockers in those days</p>
<p>Me too.
I also walked to and from school carrying my books in my arms.
My locker was often inconveniently located so I carried most of my things with me for most of the day.</p>
<p>But unfortunately, I also have scoliosis which was probably aggravated by this ( it certainly wasn’t helped anyway) and now it causes me quite a bit of pain.
If kids can have backpacks to prevent it- I think they should.</p>
<p>I work in a middle school. We do not allow students to use backpacks during the day. When you have a classroom with 25 kids and each one has a backpack with most of their belongings in it, it becomes very difficult to walk around the classroom. Teachers standing up in front of the class should be a thing of the past. Teachers and kids need to be able to move freely around the classroom without having to step over all that stuff. The second reason we don’t allow them is that if they have all their stuff with them, it is often impossible for them to find the stuff they actually need for a particular class. They spend half the class digging through everything looking for last night’s homework. The no back pack rule does force them to be a bit more organized. </p>
<p>We have had that rule since before cellphones became an issue, but if we hadn’t had it before, the prevelance of cell phones and ipods would have caused the rule to be implemented.</p>
<p>A heavy large backpack would be very incomfortable, but probably not anymore uncomfortable than shifting heavy books from arm to arm.</p>
<p>I havent had to buy many packs- I always get The North Face and they last for about 15-20 years.I just bought another recon model as my daughter had taken mine through India and is now attached to it.
They have both a hip and chest belt which makes it much more comfortable and secure. It also sits fairly high on your back and has adjustable straps and has a padded pocket that I can use for either my laptop or a water bladder.</p>
<p>Both my kids used packs or messenger bags in school, the science labs have shelves for belongings and other classrooms have desks with storage underneath the seat.
It didn’t seem to be a problem, and I expect didn’t cause as much disruption as having to go to their locker for their homework or pencil.
;)</p>
<p>I couldn’t carry my books in my arms, they were too heavy and hurt my wrists. I had a padded backpack, it’s much easier to bear weight on your shoulders than with your arms. We had a half-mile walk between buildings at my high school, four buildings with classes in all four, so carrying them in my arms would have been a nightmare-- not to mention we only had 10 minutes passing time so there usually wasn’t time to go to a locker. You just learn to pack light. You keep binders with old work at home, use soft folders for current work and notes.</p>
<p>In middle school we weren’t allowed backpacks except at arrival and dismissal and could only go to our lockers every other period. It was annoying but it worked out, and there was barely enough room to walk through some of the hallways without big backpacks-- at the end of the day when everyone had all their stuff it was a nightmare to get out. It was a small school though so it wasn’t very hard to stop at a locker, trade up books, and get to class in five minutes. Though bathroom breaks had to be strategically planned.</p>