Broward County Public Schools students will only be allowed to use clear backpacks and bookbags beginning next school year.
Broward County Public Schools students will only be allowed to use clear backpacks and bookbags beginning next school year.
The policy will go into effect on Aug. 21, the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, district officials announced Friday.
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Students in all grades from pre-K – 12th will only be allowed to carry clear backpacks and bags on all school campuses.
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The new measure does not apply to teachers, staff, volunteers or visitors.
District officials said the extraordinary measure is being done to add an additional layer of security.
"Providing safe learning environments that are conducive to student learning is of the highest importance, not just for Broward County Public Schools but for school districts across the nation," said BCPS Interim Superintendent Earlean C. Smiley. "This added layer of security is a game-changer. It will allow school security personnel and everyone on campus to quickly spot and report if someone has brought a prohibited item to school, and it will also help serve as a deterrent."
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The policy includes lunch boxes, purses, duffel bags, fanny packs, etc. Mesh and colored backpacks, even if transparent, are also banned.
Exceptions will be made for a small non-transparent pouch for personal hygiene items, thermal food containers carried inside clear lunch boxes, school-approved sport-specific carrying cases for athletic equipment and school-approved instrument-specific carrying cases for band equipment.
For more information on the rules and FAQs, click here.
Broward County is the nation's sixth-largest public school system in the country with more than 250,000 students.
