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On March 21, Broward County School District announced changes to school policies at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Among those changes was requiring students to use only clear backpacks.
The move came as a security measure after the mass shooting that killed 17 people on February 14. The shooter was not a student at Stoneman Douglas.
Students immediately responded to the announcement with displeasure.
s/o to America for making my school seem like jail now because legislators don’t have common sense gun reform on th… https://t.co/GMtAcjnrvL— Kyra Parrow (@Kyra Parrow) 1521674734.0
The Parkland students began spring break shortly after the announcement. Many also attended March for Our Lives events on March 24.
This week they returned to school for the first time with their new requirements in place.
The students, who gained national attention for their organization of protests and calls for gun reform, were not silent about this change to their lives either.
Some merely commented on the change.
Let me be clear. I have not been asking for school security, I have been asking for common sense gun laws. However,… https://t.co/5PxipYkM5K— Ryan (@Ryan) 1522713149.0
You know, I feel super safe now that the whole school can see my collection of tampons and pens.— Delaney Tarr (@Delaney Tarr) 1522724820.0
Others went a more visual route.
Nothing beats a morning walk through fenced lines with a bag check! Where am I, again? https://t.co/6gDPs8zZ3Q— Delaney Tarr (@Delaney Tarr) 1522671145.0
Some took the opportunity to take Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio to task.
Orange tags marked $1.05 refer to the money Rubio receives from the National Rifle Association (NRA) divided by the number of students in Florida. At the March for Our Lives, Stoneman Douglas junior Sarah Chadwick asked, “Is that all we’re worth to you?”
This backpack is probably worth more than my life #trends #NeverAgain https://t.co/sVAfRbt12R— Carmen Lo // #NEVERAGAIN (@Carmen Lo // #NEVERAGAIN) 1522683684.0
Others, including parents expressed general dissatisfaction with the new safety measure.
#clearbackpacks If we're not going to do anything about our lax gun laws, then my son needs a bullet proof backpack… https://t.co/m2Ok92iWY3— mom (@mom) 1522699535.0
We gettin’ creative. #ThisIsStupid https://t.co/un3a4JqZVh— Aly Sheehy ✌️Ⓥ (@Aly Sheehy ✌️Ⓥ) 1522772862.0
Thousands of clear backpacks were donated to MSD...it’s a shame b/c they should’ve been given to a school that actu… https://t.co/vngF7yHUS3— Jaclyn Corin (@Jaclyn Corin) 1522699407.0
So we got clear backpacks today. They never said we couldn’t customize them. https://t.co/QMwC0pAM4v— Sheryl (Oli) #neveragain (@Sheryl (Oli) #neveragain) 1522685561.0
my favorite clear backpack designs from today 😍 https://t.co/pmnyjrLyyi— a 🪐 (@a 🪐) 1522760989.0
Student Cameron Kasky decided to show some solidarity with female students who expressed embarrassment over the contents of their backpacks being on public display.
In a Tweet he stated, "The students at MSD might have to take some steps in the wrong direction like those ineffective see-through backpacks, but let me make one thing clear-
We are too tough to go down. We won’t let the oppressive and corrupt people in power silence us. We will keep moving forward."
The students at MSD might have to take some steps in the wrong direction like those ineffective see-through backpac… https://t.co/PansSIlELf— Cameron Kasky (@Cameron Kasky) 1522715948.0
#MSDStrong https://t.co/kKn1saUDTC— Cameron Kasky (@Cameron Kasky) 1522756157.0
The only positive about these backpacks is that maybe, hopefully, the stigma around periods will be removed. Also,… https://t.co/Me05GWJGgG— Delaney Tarr (@Delaney Tarr) 1522759054.0
To those with questions about my tampon backpack- I only got lights. I didn’t know. Getting supers for tomorrow.… https://t.co/DskIHWbVfz— Cameron Kasky (@Cameron Kasky) 1522758386.0
People outside of Parkland also weighed in.
Question: can you think of anything more embarrassing than a clear backpack to a teen girl on her period carrying s… https://t.co/9ZpAkanTc2— Alex Marzano-Lesnevich (@Alex Marzano-Lesnevich) 1522712384.0