By:Angela Marshall
Students try one month without bags on their backs
Students will be bare-backed and notebook-laden for the rest of the month as South Side Middle School experiments with a ban on backpacks.
During April, students must stow their book bags in their
lockers as soon as they reach the school. Administration at the middle school said there are several reasons for this trial, including space, safety and back health.
Backpacks double the size of students, according to Principal Tom Ricupero, making the halls packed during class changes. He said that the struggle to make it into the classroom with the bags on makes for a tight squeeze, which can sometimes cause students to get stuck.
The mobility of teachers is also stinted by packs in the aisles,
Ricupero said. They have trouble making the rounds to monitor students, with so many bags in the way.
Parent Kathy Bove also favors the no pack rule. Although she
understands why her eighth-grader might like the convenience, she sees many positives in the ban. "It's bad for their backs," she said.
In recent years, many doctors have touted research that backpacks can stunt growth.
"It's incredible," Michele Burget, assistant principal, said of the
experiment. "It's nice to see them standing up straight."
Safety has also played a part. Ricupero said that the violence
perpetrated in schools across the nation with guns and other weapons brought in backpacks is not a major concern at South Side, but it did play a role. "Thank God we have not had any [incidents]," he said.
Ricupero also hopes it will end some of the minor theft on campus. He said many students bring personal items into school to show to friends. Other students see them and thefts occur. The principal hopes the ban will put an end to this.
Students were advised of the trial period during a lunch meeting prior to the April 2 start. And during their extended advisory period last week, students were asked to provide teachers with suggestions on how to make this work better for them.
Students are also receiving some extra leeway to stop by their lockers on the way to class.
According to Ricupero, teachers have reported improvements already. Students were coming to class more organized, thus increasing the lesson time.
Of course, not everyone is happy with the experiment. As Ricupero was explaining the merits, one student passing by in the hall said, "I don't like it."
After the trial period ends, students will be given another opportunity to point out ways to make the program work better for them. "We will work with the students," Ricupero said.
Another test will be held for one week in May to work out more kinks. Of approximately 30 middle-school principals Ricupero said he polled, only three allow backpacks.
Ricupero said he is optimistic about the results and hopes to start the next school year, in September, with a backpack ban in place. However, some exceptions will be made. "We have to meet the individual needs of each student," he said.
