BUTLER HIGH SCHOOL TO BAN BACKPACKS FROM CLASS
Must be left in lockers during school day; safety issues cited.
Students at Butler High School will have to leave their backpacks and book bags in their lockers beginning next month.
The change follows a security audit done last school year.
Beginning Jan. 8, Butler High School will no longer allow students to carry backpacks or book bags throughout the day, according to Communications and Public Relations Coordinator Anaka Johnson.
The students can still bring backpacks and book bags to school but must leave them in their locker during the school day, Johnson said.
Kenna Haycox, a senior policy consultant with the Ohio School Boards Association, said other schools in the state have similar language in their student handbooks, but she couldn’t immediately say how common it is.
Haycox said it is a local decision that can stem from worries over students having dangerous items in the backpack, or even students tripping over backpacks in classroom or cafeteria aisles.
“Some districts do have specific things they consider as they look at their comprehensive security emergency management and safety plan,” Haycox said. “There are all kinds of things that come up, some in consultation with law enforcement, some from teacher or parent input.”
She said other schools might be hesitant to enact such a policy if the physical layout of their building makes it difficult for students to get to their lockers between classes.
Other building security enhancements at Butler include providing ALICE training for the staff and age-appropriate ALICE training for students.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evac-