Richwood students came back from Thanksgiving break to find that they could not bring their clear backpacks to classrooms.
Mr. Robison, Principal of Richwoods, announced during the week before Thanksgiving break that all students would be required to use their lockers and that no backpacks were allowed in class. At first, the announcement caused quite a stir among many students who felt they had just bought clear backpacks to comply with the school’s safety rules. On the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, a trial run was conducted where the entire school of Richwoods were forced to use their lockers. This went surprisingly well.
After Thanksgiving break, students discovered that the locker rule was being strictly enforced as they were not allowed to bring their backpacks to class. Every few periods, students would have to stop by their lockers to get the necessary items for class. They found the trip back and forth from the locker to the classroom tedious and tiring. On top of that, some locker locks can be difficult to open and might take a few tries.
A freshman said that she doesn’t particularly like the locker rule. She assumed the rule is supposed to “enforce the yonder pouches and make sure we aren’t using them.” If the rule was for safety reasons, she thought it “kinda defeats the point” because the students are already required to do a bag check in the morning.
A senior expressed his opinions on the locker rule saying that “it makes it more tedious to have to go to your locker more often to switch out folders and textbooks.” He also mentioned that “backpacks did not take up that much space” in the classroom. He felt that the clear backpacks have already made the school “decently safe.” Instead of eliminating backpacks for safety issues, he said the school should use the x-ray machines that are similar to those that are used at the airport.
Mr. Robison explained that the locker rule was the Peoria Public Schools Board of Education’s policy from the beginning of the school year, but he did not strictly enforce it until recently. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of lockers was put on hold for sanitation reasons. After Covid-19, students continued to carry their belongings around. “The locker rule is supposed to make us even safer while the clear backpacks are for arrival as they help make sure we can see what is in the bookbag,” said Mr. Robison. The lockers are an extra measure of safety for students and teachers, so they can “navigate through the classrooms without bookbags on the floor.” Mr. Robison added that not all items are prohibited in classrooms; laptops and binders are still allowed. However, anything bigger than those items does need to be clear. Lastly, Mr. Robison agreed that one might think it is probably easier to carry a bookbag around. Yet, he also remarked that it is good to learn to plan ahead when walking from class to class.
