Broward County Public Schools have decided to ban backpacks and bookbags for the final few days of the school year this week, to avoid any major incidents of violence.
Starting Tuesday until Thursday, when schools in the county go on summer break, students will be prohibited from taking backpacks to school. The school district says the temporary ban is due to an “overabundance of caution for security reasons.”
Broward school board member Lori Alhadeff was the one who proposed the ban to the district’s superintendent, “to prevent any type of weapon from getting into our schools.”
Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright said it is meant to help avoid pranks and other disruptions.
“The majority of our schools usually do this anyway,” Cartwright said. The Superintendent said there is no public school in Broward that is exempt from the rule.
In Miami-Dade County, a similar rule applies to some schools.
Jaquelyn Calzadilla, the school district’s communication director, said the ban is customary at middle and high schools during the last three days. But this year, the majority of elementary and K-8 schools in Miami-Dade are joining the practice.
There are, however, exceptions for students with special needs.
The announcement in Broward comes in the aftermath of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 people, including 19 students, died and 17 were injured.
