Culture
The Empty Promise of the Clear Plastic Backpack
Since the 1990s, transparent plastic book bags have been promoted as a security solution after school shootings and terror attacks. But their true effects are hazy.
For high schoolers in Parkland, Florida, going back to class after the shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018 meant being on display. The name of their town had become shorthand for a tragedy; their trauma had become fodder for a nation trying to make sense of—and move past, and regulate around—yet another school shooting, which left 17 classmates dead.
Also on display were the contents of their book bags: Over spring break, the school established a rule that students wear clear plastic backpacks instead of conventional ones.