Nassau School Issues Clear Backpacks To All Students

In the wake of the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year, the school district there mandated all students use clear backpacks. Now East Rockaway is copying that decision, and has given all of its students at its junior/senior high school clear backpacks, and forbidding the use of any others.

"As you know, the safety of your children and the staff is our top priority," Interim Principal Neil Lederer wrote in a letter to parents earlier this month. "To that end, we are constantly evaluating our safety measures to ensure that they are as effective as possible."

The district purchased 600 backpacks from a manufacturer in Chicago for $3,510 and distributed them to students on April 16.

The new backpacks are the first, and most visible, of other new, stricter security policies the district is putting in place. Visitors will only be allowed into the school if they have an appointment scheduled with a staff or faculty member, and must have a government-issued ID.

In addition, parents who need to drop things off to their children during the day will not be allowed into the building. They will have to leave the items in a bin outside the door to be collected by school staff.

Photo: East Rockaway School District