On April 2, students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School arrived at school wearing clear backpacks in accordance with a new rule established by the Broward County in response to the Parkland shooting in mid-February. It is meant to prevent students from bringing weapons to school, as they would be visible and impossible to hide in a transparent bag. Although the county has begun to recognize the need for change to protect students’ safety, the clear backpack rule is a violation of privacy that fails to properly address the root of America’s spiraling gun violence problem.

Forcing students to carry transparent backpacks exposes all of their personal belongings to the public eye, thus infringing upon their right to privacy, which the American Civil Liberties Union defines as “freedom to make certain decisions about […] our private lives without interference from the government—which includes […] public schools.”

Superintendent of the Broward County Public Schools Robert Runcie announced that the new policy would be enforced via 3,200 backpacks the school would supply to students. However, using these clear backpacks has brought students more discomfort rather than safety.

Student Kyrah Simon stated to the New York Post, “I think it’s the illusion of security, and it’s not going to accomplish anything, except make students feel like their privacy is being violated.”

Not only are teens left feeling untrusted by school officials, but their learning environment is also transformed into one that “feels like a prison,” as Sarah Chadwick, another student at Marjory Stoneman, tweeted.

According to CNN, many students have shared their dissent and frustration towards their schools’ ineffective methods through social media. The backpack policy only address one mode through which a potential gunman could bring a firearm to school, and could easily be bypassed. A dangerous individual with the intent to harm others would not be deterred by the fact that one means of carrying a gun was eliminated.

Michael Dorn, the executive director of an international non-profit organization that focuses on ensuring campus safety, stated in an interview with Racked, a newsletter of Vox Media, “[Students] very typically just hide the weapon inside something in the bookbag. They take a book and hollow it out and put a gun in the book […] It’s a repeatedly used method.”

In 2014, the Dallas Independent and Chicago Public School Districts enforced similar clear backpack policies yet both states continued to experience school shootings.  

American schools must not focus on turning their campuses into high-security environments that immediately place students under suspicion of criminal intent. Granted, Broward County’s measure is a step towards actively creating legislation to decrease gun violence. In the wake of their decision, the Ennis Independent School District in Texas has followed suit by banning opaque backpacks. Evidently, Florida has succeeded in opening dialogue and a path towards action. However, it fails to provide an appropriate direction that the government should pursue.

The issue with gun violence lies beyond just security measures. Preventing school shootings comes with targeting policies that allow guns to come into criminals’ hands in the first place, and creating clear guidelines that dictate who can access firearms, and for what purposes they may legally do so.

Whether it is universal background checks, tighter gun control laws, or an entirely different solution that is needed, the United States must ultimately focus on being proactive and realistic. A clear backpack in the face of the threat of yet another school shooting is absurd. It is a solution that is grossly disproportionate to its problem, and sacrifices students’ right to their private property as well.

Only when the United States can effectively inhibit dangerous mindsets from meeting lethal action can it be said that progress is being made. With their lives, as well as American society’s deteriorating morality and hope on the line, citizens are calling for change. Now, it is time for the government to listen if we are to truly make our schools, people, and country safer.