Lexington's clear backpack policy under reevaluation, BOE meets Friday

The Lexington City School district will reevaluate a previously approved clear bag policy during a Special Called Board of Education meeting on Friday at 1010 Fair Street at 12:30. The meeting is open to the public. 

The board recently approved a clear backpack policy for the upcoming year citing a concern for student safety. Minutes with details from the July meeting will be approved next month. In presentations to the board and media interviews, Superintendent Anitra Wells discussed benefits of having clear bags, adding the policy would expedite daily entrance for students.

The policy has been met with mixed emotions from parents online. One wrote, “It will be embarrassing for girls,” referring to her daughter’s privacy. Another replied, “I would rather my daughter be safe.” 

The reevaluation comes on the heels of Charlotte Mecklenburg School system’s decision to auction off clear bags purchased for students. The system adopted a similar policy last year and spent $442,000 on 46,000 clear backpacks last year in the hopes of decreasing gun violence.

Before distributing backpacks, CMS staff discovered a Proposition 65 warning label on the bags, the label is part of a California law stating materials in the bag could cause cancer. Some clear bags advertised to systems include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other chemicals.

Community groups previously agreed to help purchase bags according to online fundraisers, including the Cory Holt Foundation and Leroy Dawkins Scholarship Program. Parents and groups have been notified of the reevaluation happening on Friday.

Details will follow.