Schools require clear backpacks and install detectors to find weapons

Fears of school shootings are prompting school districts across the country to adopt new safety protocols, including banning backpacks and installing weapons detectors in school entrances.

Beginning next school year, students in Broward County Public Schools in Florida will only be allowed to wear clear backpacks, the school district announced in a recent statement. The school district was the site of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed by a lone gunman.

In a statement, Broward interim superintendent Earlean Smiley said the see-through backpacks provided extra security that “is a game-changer.

“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,” Smiley said. “[This policy] 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.”