NJ High School's New Backpack Policy Met With Some Complaints From Students
SOUTH RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Back-to-school shopping is a bit different this year for high school students in one New Jersey town.
No smoking, loitering and skating signs are plastered all over South River High School in Middlesex County.
Pretty soon, no traditional-looking backpacks will be allowed in the hallways either, CBS2's Jessica Layton reports.
"Honestly, what should you be bringing to school but books and pencils anyway?" Old Bridge resident Peggy Turner said.
Starting this school year, for safety reasons, students are only allowed to carry around clear backpacks.
They're similar to the ones students started to use at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after a former student shot and killed 17 people.
"I think it's an excellent idea as a preventative measure," Pat Miller, of Monroe Township, said. "It's just a horrible climate that we're living in. We are afraid to go to school."
Though there was no shooting at South River, the superintendent said in a statement that the district feels "safety and security are priority areas that require continuous attention and effort on the part of our school district."
Students feel differently about the measure.
"I feel like it's an evasion of privacy," one student said.
"Most of them don't like it at all," Tatiana Cardoso said.
Cardoso is going to be a senior at the high school in the fall. She and almost 700 of her classmates signed an online petition against the new rule.
"I don't agree with it just because I think it takes away from the privacy of the students. I feel like things could get stolen more easily," she said.
Students can still bring regular backpacks to school but must leave them in their lockers all day. Many CBS2 spoke to say the school should look into different security measures.
"Clear backpacks, I think it's a waste of time," one man said.
"I feel that the clear backpacks are a start, but I believe the kids will still find a way to bring in whatever they choose to bring in," Shortrese Martin, the mother of a South River student, said.
"I think what they would really need is more security, like maybe a metal detector," South River graduate Angela Solomin said.
The clear backpacks will be sold at the school store for $12. The rule starts on the first day of school.
The superintendent also says they're giving each student a laptop with electronic textbooks so students won't have to carry as many heavy materials as they have in the past.
