Columbus County Community Chat

A possible book bag ban by Whiteville City Schools administrators set off a wave of disapproval last week.

The idea is well-intended because of recent incidents, but the practical aspect of a ban left both parents and students in a fury.

There are at least two sides to the issue. Students’ book bags are essentially their lockers. There is little time between classes to exchange books or retrieve shorts and shoes for gym; bags must be packed to the gills for the entire day.

On the other hand, school administrators believe that banning book bags would limit drugs and weapons from being brought onto campus. The administration has said student safety is a focus, and the ban would reduce opportunities for students to hide contraband.

What is needed, however, is a discussion among parents, students, teachers and school improvement teams before administrators hand down an edict. A discussion would give administrators the opportunity to present their case, perhaps to show that book bag bans in other schools have worked. A discussion would allow parents and students to reiterate the multiple problems a ban would bring.

There are other means that should be put on the table in any discussion about school safety. These include, among others:

• Send more students who break the rules or who are perpetually problematic to North Whiteville Academy, or expel the incorrigible. The state recently recognized North Whiteville Academy as one of only three alternative “schools of promise” because of the extraordinary job the staff does to counsel troubled students and to set them on a path of learning. North Whiteville Academy not only separates troubled kids from those who want to learn, it is an effective teaching institution.

• Bring the drug dog onto campus, unannounced, at will and often. Dealers and users are adept at hiding drugs. The dogs are hard to fool.

Dogs can also be trained to sniff out firearms and ammunition. Raising money for such a dog could be accomplished in one day.

• Institute a school uniform policy at Central and the high school. No more gangster wear. No more skin and tats. Gang members and gang wannabes will find ways to show their allegiances even with uniforms, but uniforms are an equalizer when clothes define students rather than their behavior and performance among their peers.

Parents should appreciate the schools’ attempts to make school safer but the decision shouldn’t be unilateral. Proposals such as book bag bans and school uniforms are controversial and have pluses and minuses. Because parents and the schools have a common goal –safety – solutions determined by community discussion and consensus are how it should be done.