Most students are issued textbooks, and may also be required to carry binders, folders, as well as pens and pencils and other class materials throughout the day. The laptop bags the school provides should only contain your laptops and chargers. According to administration, students are not allowed to carry additional bags during the school day. Where are students’ materials and supplies supposed to go? Students have resorted to using tote bags to carry all their materials.
An Oct. 7 school wide meeting included a warning about students using tote bags instead of or in addition to the school laptop bags.
“The tote bags are a safety issue,” High School Principal Mr. Michael Bergey said, “due to the fact that students are able to bring things in.”
There is no difference between the tote bag and laptop bag, but in theory, students should only be school items that students carry and student’s laptop bag, he added.
Students have to have something to carry the laptops, which is why the laptop bags are used, Mr. Bergey said. The tech department only wants students to keep their devices in the school issued laptop bags to keep them protected, he added.
This was not a new ban on tote bags, Mr. Bergey said, adding that it was just a reminder to students who were not following the rules.
There are lots of variables, but the short answer for discipline would be anything from lunch detention to after school detention, he said. “Bags are not permitted anywhere in the building between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” Mr. Bergey said. This rule was put into place in the early 2000s, he added.
Mr. Bergey said that he realizes that the policy may need to be reconsidered, and that the administrative staff is discussing the policy. Any changes would be an administrative decision, where teachers and students are asked, and other schools are consulted, he added. He also said that he recognizes that this is not a “black and white” issue.
Clear bags are being considered, but they can’t replace the laptop bags entirely to prevent laptops from getting broken, Mr. Bergey said. He added that lockers should be used for the storage of supplies, and that there is ample time for students to grab things from their locker and get to class within the four-minute transition period.
“For me I feel as if the tote bags provide more room for my notebooks and class materials,” Freshman Ava Seward said. “It’s nice to have somewhere I can fit all my things without having to carry them and go back to my locker.”
