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Comment by werfds | Hacker News Reader

No, but if we're forcing the kids to have clear backpacks because of an infinitesimal risk, we should ban them from biking to school, being driven to school and playing in the school football team.

Which is ridiculous.

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Some schools actually have banned things such as biking to school, along with playing tag, balls, and even running during recess over the same safety boogieman. It's frustrating how the whole freedom vs security balance thing falls off a cliff when children's rights are discussed.

Sources edit:

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20026414/why-biking-to-schoo...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/03/parents-outrage-...

https://www.thehealthjournals.com/youre-not-it/amp/

That sounds like prison.

As a child, it is exactly prison, it's not 'like' prison. You are controlled in location, action, and speech. You are told when to use the restroom, when to eat. Feeling sleepy today or maybe not getting along with an obnoxious inmate? Too bad for you, you're powerless.

I personally believe most school violence is induced by the prison-like nature of schools. They are inmate riots of 1.

That's a poor comparison though. Both of the others provide other benefits: a method of commuting to school or exercise. Potentially even scholarships.

Fashionable backpacks do nothing.

Imagine you're a teenage girl and you need to carry sanitary products with you. I imagine that for some of them this is essentially a nightmare scenario. That's a direct harm to kids.

This is a good point and I hope they can work around it (such as by allowing small opaque bags inside the bag).

At which point the clear outer bag is defeated.

Freedom from arbitrary restrictions does something.

Welcome to mandatory education

Seems like you agree with me that this has nothing to do with guns and everything to do with the dysfunction of the school system.

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