Recently, Hawthorne High School has begun enforcing its “no bags” rule. The enforcement of this rule is intended to ensure safety in the school; however, enforcing this rule will not be what keeps the students safe.

Since the Newtown shooting, in which 21-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 children ages six and seven, as well as  the principal, school psychologist, and four teachers, Hawthorne High School has implemented and enforced many security measures including one that states:  “No backpacks, gym bags, or athletic sacks are permitted in classrooms during the school day.”  This rule, which can be found on page 40 of the Student Handbook, is now being strongly enforced to ensure safety of students and faculty. However, in the three years I have been in Hawthorne High, this rule was not strictly enforced.

Many, including myself, do not feel the rule of no bags, which includes purses, backpacks, gym bags and athletic sacks, will ensure safety in Hawthorne High. Surely, this rule can lower the possibilities of guns, knives, or any type of weapon being brought into school; however, if a student has intentions of going into the school with a weapon to harm other students and/or faculty, that person  can still find other ways to do so.

Ryan Gordon, a senior at HHS, was asked if he believed that the Newtown shooting was the reason why the “no bags” rule needed to be enforced. Gordon replied “A little bit; however, I see more complaints going around instead of a positive outcome.”

When asked if he thought that enforcing this rule will help the safety of our students, Hawthorne High School sophomore, William Best, stated, “No, it wasn’t a problem before. Just because a shooting happened now the rules are being enforced. If that’s the main focus, I don’t think someone would try to bring in a weapon.”

Although bags not being permitted in school can ensure a feeling of safety to some, it can also be considered an inconvenience to many students. As a solution, the administration might consider allowing students to bring their bags to school if the student cooperates with daily bag checks in homeroom to guarantee students are not hiding anything harmful in them.