Michigan School District Makes Big Safety Move

Flint Community Schools bans backpacks for all students through at least the end of school year
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 4, 2023 2:07 PM CDT
Michigan School District Bans Backpacks, Citing Safety
Flint Community Schools says the new rule will be in place for the rest of the school year.   (Getty Images/Inside Creative House)

Students of a public school district in Michigan are, as of Monday, banned from carrying backpacks. Flint Community Schools cited safety concerns in unveiling the new rule—approved by the Flint Board of Education in a 7-0 vote, per the Hill—which will be in place for K-12 students for the remainder of the school year. "Across the country, we have seen an increase in threatening behavior and contraband, including weapons, being brought into schools at all levels," Superintendent Kevelin Jones wrote in an April 27 announcement, per NPR. In short, "backpacks make it easier for students to hide weapons."

Jones acknowledged the move, backed by the Flint Police Department, "will impact how scholars and families prepare for their days and operations in the classroom." However, "we believe that this is the best solution for those we serve." Students will be allowed "small purses with personal items (i.e., hygiene products, wallets, keys, phone, etc.), clear plastic bags with gym clothes, and lunch boxes ... within reason," according to the statement. Jones suggested backpack searches weren't sufficient, as weapons "can be disassembled and harder to identify or hidden in pockets, inside books, or under other items." And clear backpacks—required by some Texas school districts following the school shooting in Uvalde last May, per ABC News—"do not completely fix this issue," either.

"By banning backpacks altogether and adding an increased security presence across the district, we can better control what is being brought into our buildings," Jones wrote. The statement warns that any student who brings a backpack to school "will be sent to the office, where they will need to call a parent or guardian to pick up their belongings." Jones tells the Hill that, given the concerns, "we haven't had a lot of backlash in our community at all about this." It's not the first move of its kind. Backpacks were previously banned from high schools in Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and Idaho, per KSL and CBS News. (More Michigan stories.)

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