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Parkland students react to mandatory clear backpack rule: 'Almost as transparent as the NRA’s agenda'

The students are now required to use clear backpacks.

Nicole Gallucci

on April 2, 2018

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are returning to campus after the March For Our Lives and a week-long Spring Break, but they have yet to adjust to the new security measures put in place.

After a mass shooting on Feb. 14 killed 17 people at the school, increased security precautions are being taken to ensure no acts of gun violence occur in the future. As of Monday, all students are being required to wear transparent backpacks, provided by the school, along with new student ID badges.

In response to the change, many students expressed their disappointment in the backpacks on social media, claiming the clear bags are a violation of privacy and not one of the key issues that should be grabbing the world's attention.

"My new backpack is almost as transparent as the NRA’s agenda. I feel sooo safe now," Parkland student Lauren Hogg tweeted, along with two photos of her new backpack.

"As much as I appreciate the effort we as a country need to focus on the real issue instead of turning our schools into prisons," she went on.

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Another student, Carmen Lo, decorated her backpack with a powerful quote. "This backpack is probably worth more than my life," she wrote alongside the hashtag #NeverAgain.

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Other students returning to school chimed in as well, along with members of the public who had some thoughts on the effectiveness of the clear backpacks. Some even tweeted photos directly at Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

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Though the backpacks were meant to make students feel safer in school many feel the clear bags are stripping them of their privacy and individuality.

In addition to the new backpacks and ID badges there will also be an increased police presence on campus — which has raised concerns amongst black students who attend the high school — and limited points of entry into the building, CNN reported.

In a letter sent to students and families on March 21, Florida Superintendent of Schools, Robert Runcie, said, "We want to assure you that the safety and security of our students and employees remain our highest priorities."

He also explained that the district is considering installing metal detectors at the school's entrances in the future.

Topics Gun Control Social Good Politics

Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.