Public schools in Flint, Michigan have banned all backpacks on campus over concerns of firearms and weaponry.
According to The Hill, the Flint Board of Education voted unanimously to prohibit backpacks for the rest of the school year. Small purses for personal items will be allowed as well as clear plastic bags for gym clothes and lunchboxes "within reason." All items will be subject to searches.
“Things have changed,” Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones said, noting that the policy is the only way to move forward in the wake of school shootings across the country.
“For the most part, the majority of our families are putting in measures before something happens,” Jones added.
The new policy comes after the Nashville school shooting where a gunman killed six people last month. Earlier this year, a six-year-old reportedly brought a handgun to school in his backpack and shot his 25-year-old teacher.
Jones said backpacks make it easier to hide firearms and he hopes the ban will add another layer of safety.
“We have wands, we have metal detectors in our buildings, we have heightened our personnel as it pertains to safety advocates,” the superintendent said. “We’re just trying to prevent it. So, we haven’t had a lot of backlash in our community at all about this.”
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