BROWARD COUNTY, FL– The Broward school board has decided that they will not require students to wear clear backpacks for the upcoming school year.
The decision came after a heated town hall meeting regarding school safety that took place in the auditorium of Plantation High School on Monday.
More than 150 parents and guardians were strongly against clear backpacks and spoke about their concerns in front of the Broward County school board members and the interim superintendent.
One woman told the interim superintendent that she would prefer metal detectors over students carrying clear backpacks.
A student also expressed his concern about the policy after a classmate was able to sneak a game system onto the campus by hiding it in his jacket despite the “no backpack” policy on the last day of school.
By the end of the meeting, many officials also agreed with the crowd.
School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff stated: “I am against having clear backpacks for our students. It’s a false sense of security.”
Vice Chair Debra Hixon and Board Member Sarah Leonardi also expressed that they had been against the idea from the beginning.
Some school board members also declined to share their opinions.
The initiative appears to be shelved for now but it if does manage to go through next month, the measure would take effect on the first day of the 2023-2024 school year.