Prompted by safety concerns, one Rowan County school will require children to carry clear book bags this fall, and two others are strongly urging parents to buy them.
Knox Middle School is mailing information today about the required see-through carrying bags along with schedules and its uniform policy, according to Principal Tony Helms. Knox’s School Improvement Team recommended the rule, he said.
“It’s a safety feature for us,” Helms said. “We’re considering safety first.”
Two elementary schools — Granite Quarry and Hanford Dole — also are urging parents to buy clear carrying containers for their children if their children intend to use one at all.
No high schools in Rowan County are requiring the practice.
Local principals spoke with Superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby in the spring about the issue and decided individual schools should decide such matters. Almost every student — including those in elementary schools — carries a book bag, school staff say.
The new policy at Knox comes at a time when schools are taking threats of violence more seriously than ever.
Last year, administrators in the Rowan-Salisbury school system reported more than 60 written or verbal threats of violence by students. They ranged from a list of names found on a piece of paper in a school hall entitled “hit list” to a bomb threat scribbled on a bathroom wall.
Just one or two threats were reported in the 1999-2000 school year, according to Howard Hurt, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. He believes the number rose dramatically largely because employees are taking threats more seriously.
“Parents need to be sure their kids know this is something they can’t joke about,” Hurt said last year after interviewing many students suspected of threatening their classmates or school staff members. “In this day and time, you cannot say anything about shooting or stabbing someone in a school. It’s like putting fire near gasoline.”
At some schools in Rowan County, such as North Rowan Middle, administrators say students put book bags away while in class until the end of the day, making them less of an issue.
Ray Rivers, principal at rural Bostian Elementary School, said clear book bags won’t be required this year. But he does believe they can help deter students from carrying potential weapons.
“It’s not a complete solution to the problem, but it’s part of the strategy.”
Wal-Mart and Harris Teeter have clear book bags in stock. Goody’s at the Salisbury Mall sold out of the style it was carrying but will have more soon, Assistant Manager Bonnie Powell said.
“We had a few in,” she said. “We haven’t really been getting back-to- school shoppers until just now.”
Contact Brad A. Hodges at 704-797-4266 or bhodges@salisburypost.com
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