WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - Students at Wicomico Middle School and Wicomico High School will be using clear backpacks when the new school year begins as part of the district's new clear bookbag requirement.
The pilot program is designed to improve safety in schools. Families will be responsible for purchasing the clear backpacks themselves.
Some Salisbury residents say they support the new requirement.
"I think it's a great idea. I think it's a way to keep our children safe. We know how to keep our children safe and we just don't do it. And I think the backpacks [are] a beginning for it,” said Sheila Nauman, Salisbury resident.
Not everyone is as supportive. Some parents say they had already spent money on traditional backpacks before learning about the new policy.
"My only drawback right now has been that my daughter's first year of high school last year we invested in a $65 JanSport backpack that she intended to carry all four years, which is why we made that investment," said Cynthia Rivers, a Wicomico High School parent.
School leaders say students will still be allowed to carry one small non-transparent personal pouch inside their clear backpacks for personal items.
When students return to school in September, those attending Wicomico Middle and High Schools will be required to use clear backpacks.
The district says it will review feedback and the results of the pilot program before deciding whether to continue or expand the program in the following years.
