Wake County has a policy that says spectators can only bring in clear bags to sports events. Is this the most effective way of preventing violence in schools or at school events?
The clear bag policy says that spectators have one clear bag with dimensions no larger than 12 inches by 15 inches by three inches. There are a few exceptions to this rule, those being a small clear clutch bag or wristlet no larger than four inches by six inches by one inch, bags containing medically necessary items for that attendee’s assistance and diaper bags. If an individual is carrying a bag that doesn’t comply with this policy, they won’t be allowed into the event. Spectators are only allowed one clear bag. This policy does not apply to performers.
This policy is in place to help keep students safe, prevent violence and to make sure that no one has dangerous weapons on them. It was put in place about a year after a student was found trying to bring a weapon into a basketball game at Millbrook High School. But is this policy really helpful, or is it just an inconvenience?
One of this policy’s major flaws is that spectators could have concealed weapons on them, and performers could have weapons hidden in their bag(s). This possibility defeats the whole purpose of the policy. The policy will also not stop fist fights.
When asked if the policy made people feel safer at events, students said they believed it didn’t increase safety.
FVHS junior Florence Mondragon said, “No, I don’t think it increases safety in a meaningful way. If someone wanted to smuggle contraband into the school event, they have anything from their own pockets to smuggling it in under their shirt.”
There is also the question of the policy being applied consistently. At a winter guard competition at Holly Springs High School, this policy was very heavily enforced by parent volunteers. However at Festival of Bands (FoB), students working the gate did not feel comfortable telling people they couldn’t go in without a clear bag or were not told about the policy.
FVHS sophomore Ethne Dux who was working the gate at FoB said, “We weren’t told to keep people without clear bags out.”
Additionally, at the winter guard competition, spectators could only go into the gym if they had a clear bag, this rule also applied to performers. It didn’t matter if spectators had non-clear bags in their clear bags or if they had been let in before with a non-clear bag that had been in a clear bag.
When asked if she felt the policy made the event safer, Dux said, “No, I think that’s very counterintuitive, because you could 100% put a gun in a bag then put it in a clear bag”
This raises another question: why does it only apply to sports events but not regular school? What is it that makes a school event different or that much more dangerous? This policy just seems like another misguided attempt to keep students safe instead of trying to fix the root of the problem.
