DETROIT, Mich. — Two Michigan school districts have banned students from bringing backpacks to schools in less than a month after several weapon concerns and incidents.
Grand Rapids Public Schools is the second Michigan district to ban backpacks from schools after district administrators discovered a loaded gun in a third-grader's backpack. The district joins Flint Community Schools, which drew national headlines in late April when the district announced a backpack ban that started on May 1.
Weapons have been confiscated from students four times this school year in Grand Rapids, according to a news release from the district. In three out of four times, the weapon was found in a backpack.
"I am more than frustrated that a decision like this is necessary, but we must put safety first and that’s what this decision is about," said Grand Rapids Superintendent Leadriane Roby. “This is just one step in an ongoing conversation about how we can best protect our children in our rapidly changing world.”
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Gun confiscated from third-grader
School staff confiscated the gun from a Stocking Elementary School third-grader on Wednesday after another student alerted staff that their schoolmate might have a gun.
Grand Rapids Police took possession of the weapon. Guns were also confiscated from students this year twice at Burton Middle School and once at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School.
The school district said the backpack ban will remain in effect until further notice while the district works to enhance security protocol and modify rules.
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Threats made at another school district
Flint Community Schools' backpack ban also came out of a concern for weapons after a threat was made against a school on April 19, Superintendent Kevelin Jones said in a letter to parents. The school was placed on lockdown and the district canceled classes the following day.
"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 said in the letter.
He said backpacks “make it easier for students to hide weapons." Jones also noted that a clear backpack policy does not fix the issue and the school district said weapons can still easily be hidden clear backpacks.
The ban, which started on May 1, will be in place for the rest of the school year, Jones said.
Backpack debate in age of school violence
Districts for years have struggled over how to handle student bags in an age of school violence and mass shootings. Oxford Community Schools, following a Nov. 2021 shooting that left four students dead, instituted a clear backpack policy. But a recent report into safety at the district noted some students were still spotted with opaque backpacks.
Some school districts have metal detectors and screen students daily as they enter the school. But studies have found that the student populations of schools with metal detectors are largely made up of students of color. And some students have said the presence of metal detectors make them feel like criminals.
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Contributing: Francisco Guzman, USA TODAY
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