Safety and security are the always the main goals for Unit 5 administration when it comes to school events.
With concern for guests, staff, and students’ safety, Unit 5 is beginning to look into a clear bag policy in the near future for school events.
Kristen Weikle, Unit 5 superintendent, cannot confirm if the new rule will be applied this year or next year.
However, the discussions surrounding the clear bag policy have been happening for some time now and are continuing with the intention of implementing a policy in the coming years.
“The policy’s not finished yet. The conversations have happened in small groups at the Safety Committee policy committee,” Weikle stated.
Although the district hopes to model these plans on neighboring districts and Universities, the reality of the policy is much more complicated than simply having conversations.
“Next steps would be to go through with the policy, and with that, it would show up on board agendas,” Weikle continued.
“A first reading (…) means that we’re giving everyone notice that this is something being discussed. We ask board members to provide feedback, and then it’s listed as a second reading and for adoption on another month’s agenda.”
Like all things related to the district, Weikle is not alone in deciding on the clear bag policy.
In fact, many other Unit 5 committees have been involved.
“People who make up those committees include the Safety Committee; some staff members, administrators, board members, and the policy committee consist of administrators, board members, and the school attorney,” Weikle said.
As far as what is to be expected with this policy, Weikle reminds readers that the committee will consider all things that may need considering in the final decision.
For instance, Weikle mentioned that one known exception would be for families with specific needs.
And although, there is no known plan to have students use clear backpacks during the school day due to other safety measures already in place, there has been talk of using them during extracurricular events, sports events, and concerts.
Weikle does not believe the policy will expand into the regular school day: “We haven’t talked about it during the school day because we do have other safety measures in place,” Weikle explained.
While some may view the new policy as an inconvenience, Weikle assures that the rule is there for the safety of everyone, not just students: “We can be aware of what people are bringing in to keep students, visitors, guests, staff, and everyone safe,” Weikle explained.
Weikle also explains that the rule is not implemented to snoop in people’s bags.
Additionally, with the concern of school shootings, the policy can help reduce the potential of a dangerous weapon being brought into school events.
“Do we have enough staff working events to be able to [search non-clear bags]? Or do we just want to say, nope, it has to be a clear bag so that we can make sure weapons can’t be [hidden]. That would be the primary thing,” Wiekle stated. “It really is about keeping people safe, not snooping into what people are bringing or not bringing.”
