Students should be able to carry their backpacks to and from every class. There are many benefits of having all school materials in one place––a backpack––that can travel with students wherever they need to go.

Currently, students have to either carry every single notebook, binder, and folder to all eight classes, or make several trips to their locker throughout the school day. Both options are inconvenient, and the latter often causes students to be late to class. If backpacks were allowed to be carried throughout the school day, it would save time for students, as well as making teachers happy by making it easier for students to make it to class on time. Excluding the extra trips to lockers to pick up textbooks will also give students more time to use the restroom or get something to eat from the cafeteria, things that many students currently miss class time to do.

In some cases, it’s convenient to make a stop at your locker before your next class, but more often than not, the time it takes to stop at your locker makes it impossible for students to get to class on time. I have had several cases when I was coming from a class in the basement to the north building or towards the language department. Without going to my locker, I could’ve made it to class with a minute or two to spare, but since I had to make the extra stop, I was constantly sprinting to class hoping to make it on time.

Having backpacks would not only benefit students from receiving endless tardies due to unnecessary trips to their locker, but the teacher as well. Since students would have extra time that was usually spent on traveling to their locker, they would be less likely to be late to class. That would allow teachers to start class on time and not worry about students coming through the door late.

On top of having a different set of materials for every class, students often misplace something in a different folder or leave something behind in their locker. Having the privilege to carry backpacks would allow students to have everything they need for class and reduce the chance that students are unprepared for class. They wouldn’t have to stress about leaving an assignment behind in their locker, or putting their math homework in the English folder. This would allow students to have more time and attention to focus on what’s going on in the classroom rather than worrying about what they left behind, creating a more relaxing day for students. Being able to carry backpacks would eliminate the need for lockers. That means wider hallways all around the school, allowing students, teachers, and other faculty members to get to their destination in a very timely manner, significantly increasing the level of convenience for everyone in school.

Because of all these benefits, students should be able to carry their backpacks from class to class. It saves time for students, makes teachers happy, and makes life more convenient for students throughout their busy school day.