Marjory Stoneman Douglas Students Will Now Have to Carry Clear Backpacks
As they push for sensible gun control laws, the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are apparently getting a much flimsier safety solution: clear backpacks. On Wednesday, administrators at the Parkland, Florida, high school, where a shooter killed 17 people last month, announced a new rule requiring students to wear only clear backpacks.
The new security measure comes after two students were arrested on charges of carrying knives on Tuesday, and the shooting suspect's brother was charged with trespassing on campus the day before, The New York Times reported. On Thursday, eight Florida Highway Patrol troopers will show up at Marjory Stoneman Douglas to secure its entrances. Students will also be issued mandatory ID badges, which they'll have to wear at all times, and any student without a clear backpack will be given one by the school for free. Meanwhile, the Times reported, the district is considering using metal detectors, evaluating active-shooter protocols and drills, and upgrading surveillance cameras.
Naturally, some of the students are not happy about this. On Wednesday, several took to Twitter to criticize the new rule, calling it a feeble substitute for gun control laws. "s/o to America for making my school seem like jail now because legislators don’t have common sense gun reform on their agendas," student Kyra Parrow wrote, while student Lauren Hogg tweeted, "Great. Because clear backpacks are gonna fix everything. I appreciate the attempt, but I’d rather have common since [sic] gun laws than a clear backpack. #NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough"
In just two days, the Parkland, Florida, shooting survivors will be leading protesters worldwide in March for Our Lives, a gun-control rally intended to pressure legislators into enacting more-effective gun control laws. On Saturday, March 24, countless activists and students will be marching in Washington, D.C., and more than 800 joint marches around the world to protest gun violence.
