To answer the question posed in our headline, not completely…

A newly added item to page thirteen of the Alden High School agenda reads, “Backpacks are not allowedin classrooms”. Alden High School has undergone many new renovations and changes throughout the building in a very short span of time.  New locker rooms, a new cafeteria, and a new secure entrance are among the changes. Also, as of September 6th 2016, students are no longer permitted to carry their backpacks from classroom to classroom which means locker stops, lots of them. This issue has caught the attention of every single student. So, why is it that we’re being forced to use the lockers for their primary purpose?

Like a lot of policies that go under review, it’s really a safety issue. Not only for the obvious security issue that students can put anything in their backpacks, but they can be very bulky and just in the way of things. We’ve all experienced having to move a chair or take an alternative route when bags are in the way, it’s a tripping hazard. Tucked under desks, hung behind chairs, or pushed against the wall, a room full of more than 10 backpacks takes up more space than one may think. Students are allowed to bring their backpacks to school, however they must remain in a locker during all class periods.

“I don’t like it, but I understand the safety concern.” – Brittney Heist, Junior