Should backpacks be allowed in the classroom?

I believe that there are many pros and cons to backpacks being allowed in the classroom. For example, this would be a great thing for many students who may need different materials for different classes.

In a school as big as Riley (we see you 4 flights of stairs), it can take longer than four minutes to go from the third floor down to the first floor to go to a locker and then back up to the fourth floor. Not only does it waste time, but this could also be a struggle for students who may have medical issues such as asthma or students with injuries.

However, many other people argue that students could be carrying things in their backpacks that are not school-appropriate or have things that could be a threat to other students. I think with this there are definitely risks, but I think there are definitely more benefits.

Another major argument that I would make toward this is that if students are allowed to carry backpacks, it could be way more convenient for our menstruating students. If a student has an emergency, they won’t need to go all the way to their locker to help with this. They will already have whatever they need with them and this could avoid students being seen with embarrassing stains on their pants that many menstruating students fear. 

One major downside of students being able to carry backpacks is that studies show that when students carry around large backpacks full of their belongings, this leads to students struggling with back and shoulder pain from having their heavy backpacks. Although there isn't really much that could be done with this issue, aside from just requiring students to carry less.

For example, many students no longer have to carry around textbooks as most of our books and assignments are on our Chromebooks, so the majority of students will only really have to carry writing utensils notebooks, and their Chromebooks, along with any other necessary items each student needs personally. 

Overall, I feel there are way more pros than cons in allowing students to have their backpacks in the classroom. So YES, backpacks should be allowed in the classroom.