RCS banishes backpacks to boost RHS safety

• RCS banishes backpacks to lockers after superintendent shocked to see them in classrooms.
• New policy was announced Friday and takes effect Monday, with only impact at high school.
• Superintendent says policy is not “zero tolerance” and staff will work with students.
• Accommodations will be made for students facing special situations, superintendent says.

Superintendent Todd Terrill walked into Richmond High School on the first day of school and watched students head to class with backpacks.

“I was shocked that was even permitted,” he said Saturday.

Now, it is not permitted.

Terrill on Friday announced a policy that begins Monday prohibiting Richmond Community Schools students from carrying backpacks to class. Students at Test and Dennis intermediate schools already are not allowed to take backpacks to class, so the change only immediately impacts RHS students.

Purses that are not bigger than the size of a textbook will still be permitted in class, Terrill said, and students are permitted to bring backpacks to school. The backpacks must be stored in student lockers.

It’s a change to improve safety, said Terrill, who has spent about a decade as a school safety specialist. He said there have not been any incidents at RHS since school began to trigger the policy.

“From the past experiences that I’ve had and the training that I’ve had, we need to remove as many possibilities as we can for things that shouldn’t be (in school),” he said. “When someone is carrying a backpack, we have no idea what’s in it.”

Terrill said RHS students have been prohibited from taking backpacks to class in the past, and he’s not sure why or when that changed. He also said he discussed the issue with the Richmond Education Association, the local affiliate of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

“They told me they as an organization have brought this to the superintendent’s office every year,” Terrill said. “This was their stance that it’s best for the kids, the teachers and overall safety. I’m not sure why it’s been allowed in the past, but now, knowing what I know, we’ve moved in this direction.”

The policy eliminates one place students can carry contraband such as weapons or drugs through the school. It also puts backpacks in lockers if school officials receive information about contraband in the school and have law enforcement officers or a drug dog search the lockers, Terrill said. In addition, he said, the policy keeps backpacks out of classroom aisles and out of the way if an emergency evacuation becomes necessary.

Terrill said he thinks the new policy is common among Indiana schools, especially schools in urban areas.

Friday’s announcement, though, created immediate concerns among students and parents. The Palladium-Item received at least eight emailed letters to the editor about the issue.

Terrill said he’s talked to students at RHS immediately after the announcement and to parents at Friday night’s football game against Connersville at Lyboult Field.

Students, he said, were concerned about losing the convenience of carrying backpacks.

“They said, ‘We don’t like this, but we understand,’” Terrill said. “At the football game, I was able to talk to many parents, and there were those who thought it was crazy and those who appreciate that we’re looking after the students.”

Terrill said he, RHS principal Rae Woolpy and the RHS staff will work with students the first couple of weeks to analyze how the policy is working.

“This most definitely is not a zero tolerance policy,” Terrill said.

Exceptions will be made, he said, for students with special needs and who need special learning equipment in classes. He said students with special equipment needs have Individual Education Plans and administration will work with that.

“If a student breaks a wrist in a football game or a soccer game, those students have what’s called a 504 plan, and we’ll make accommodations to help those students,” he said. “We’ll work with them.”

Terrill did say that in his opinion the five-minute passing periods between classes are sufficient, but staff will work with students who might have a lengthy walk between classes.

“I think they can get there if they’re not standing around using it as social time, and we’re going to be working with the teachers, the administration and the students,” he said. “Now if the student is being obstinate and is 10 minutes late, that’s another story.”

To help eliminate clutter in student lockers, Terrill said he is working with athletic coaches and physical education teachers to have locker rooms available before school for students to put equipment in their athletic lockers.

All in all, Terrill expects students to quickly adjust.

“This is what we understand to be best for students,” he said. “We’ll get through this. It’s not a big deal.”