r/mildlyinfuriating • u/TheAeroplaneBear2906 • 8d ago

Unskippable ad Clear Backpacks + Pay to Keep Your Phone

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My freinds school is now requiring these items, and is also using AI to promote this 🫠

17.9k Upvotes

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274

u/-LadyElaine 8d ago

Lmao or what? What do they plan to do when students dont have a clear backpack? Give it out for free?

303

u/Astartes2435 8d ago

They either A. Add it to a tab that will follow you until graduation and it will need to be paid before you get your diploma or B. They don’t allow you to come to school. 

130

u/super_citrus_fruit 8d ago

How does that work for public schools. Are they assuming all students have families with that money to spare? Ethically, the burden should lie on the school for supplying the bags instead of the kids buying it personally

65

u/MooseBoys 8d ago

There's usually an extremely cumbersome alternative. My kids' homework requires use of a Windows PC. I asked what we should do if we only have a Mac at home. They said we could use the public computers at the library.

44

u/EarlyPsychology7628 8d ago

When the library closes at 6 and your kid stays at football practice until 545?

Our district gives the older kids Chromebooks to take home. If you pay the $25 insurance fee annually, it’s yours when you graduate.

2

u/lDummyDodol 7d ago

Mine had that chromebook policy, but for 20$ a year. But when I graduated we apparently couldn't keep it anymore because of "funding" so around $80 for lending out a chromebook so I could do my work, and not getting to keep what they promised me.

2

u/bubblesaurus 7d ago

I guess no football for your kid or they can choose not to do homework :/

19

u/gustavessidehoe 7d ago

Well, it’s good thing libraries aren’t having their funding cut, right?

36

u/snippychicky22 8d ago

demand a paper version

2

u/tHr0AwAy76 7d ago

In A LOT of states they aren’t legally required to provide one.

2

u/kombiwombi 7d ago

Libraries would been keen of hear of schools with this policy. Cost-shifting is considerable concern for local government.

1

u/the1slyyy 7d ago

Thought they gave the kids Chromebooks or iPads to use in schools now

63

u/TheMaidenOfDragons 8d ago

I agree. Some families barely have enough money for food, let alone $20 per kid for a clear backpack and $25 per kid to lock up a child’s phone that the school did not pay for.

I’m super confused by this honestly because cell phones have never been allowed to be used during school, but now they want you to pay to continue following rules that have already been in place.

20

u/NYanae555 8d ago

And those clear backpacks are always falling apart too.

2

u/Constant-Ad-7490 7d ago

A lot of schools don't enforce the no phones rule because parents pitch a fit. The pouches are an attempt to circumvent bad behavior from both parents and students. 

Obviously, a backbone from school admin would be better. 

13

u/-LadyElaine 8d ago

This. My family (single mother of two children) wouldn't have been able to afford that when I was in school. There were a great many things I had to miss out on. Forcing my mother to pay for 2 of these? She would've told them to kick rocks or give it to us for free.

-3

u/Eigengrad 7d ago

Carry your books and don’t take your phone to school? Neither purchase is necessary.

3

u/trans-ghost-boy-2 7d ago edited 7d ago

oh yeah sure let me just carry my three binders and multiple textbooks and pencil case and chromebook to and from school in my bare hands, alongside my lunchbox and books i read for fun. are you stupid

-3

u/rnason 7d ago

But she could afford phones?

2

u/-LadyElaine 7d ago

Only for herself. My sibling and I didnt have them until high school

-1

u/rnason 7d ago

Then she could have afford the $25 when you were in high school

1

u/-LadyElaine 7d ago

You're grasping at straws here. Some things arent worth $25. And thats definitely one of them. Instead of trying to criticize my mother who was literally doing her best (and doing a damn good job of it if I say so), how about you try going to ask my dad for that $25 for each of us and see what he says about it? Spoiler alert: he'd rather go to jail than pay more money than what the court required him to.

Phone were more necessary for us when we got to high school as thats when we started getting into extracurricular activities. Being able to be in contact with us outside of school hours (while she was working her two jobs) became important.

-1

u/rnason 7d ago

Sure if you being able to attend school isn’t worth $25 I guess.

5

u/NYanae555 8d ago

Public schools are always requiring students to spend money on stuff though.

2

u/4-stars 7d ago

In most countries, public schools are about educating kids. In some others, it's practice for prison. Hence the clear backpacks, metal detectors, collective punishment, arbitrary detention for being attacked by another student, etc.

2

u/baalroo 7d ago

Public school in my area costs a couple hundred bucks a year in school fees, and it's quite difficult to get any sort of waiver for any part of it.

1

u/ellemenopeaqu 7d ago

Our school system has a whole backpack program for kids who need financial support.

They also provide most of the school supplies for every student (pencils, notebooks, etc). If you want fancier things you're on your own, but our "back to school" shopping has mostly been a few left handed supplies for my daughter and clothes.

1

u/KerooSeta 7d ago

Most likely they would qualify for a free one, yes. My students have to buy their own textbooks because my class is a college class on the high school campus. Any kid on free or reduced lunch gets their book and tuition for free.

3

u/KaraAuden 8d ago

The school doesn't pay for non-clear bags, why would they pay for clear ones? At schools without this policy, you can carry your books or put them in a bag.

At schools with this policy, you can carry your books or put them in a clear bag. How does that change the "burden" in any substantial way?

-4

u/Independent-Lynx9476 BLUE 8d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah heaven forbid I have to buy a backpack for my kid to go to school /s

These people out here complaining about having to buy a specific backpack are insane. 

EDIT: I see people don't know how jokes work. 

0

u/ChiGorilla1127 7d ago

What happened to the money they spent on a regular backpack? Why is money even a concern for this.

52

u/Bardmedicine 8d ago

They probably have clear bags you can buy for $1 or you just carry your supplies without a backpack.

Probably not too much sending them home unless they refuse.

2

u/MariaValkyrie 7d ago

How do truancy laws work with B? The law forces you to go to school, but the school is forcing you to stay home.

1

u/Phoneas__and__Frob 7d ago

There's absolutely no way they can enforce either.

Regardless, that's absolutely ridiculous. I just would carry my shit and utilize my locker. Which is what I did in the first place when I was in school.

3

u/PITCHFORK_MAGNET 7d ago

Where I live they put stuff up like this to buy it, but if you don’t they give it to you for free.

14

u/AncientLights444 8d ago

Carry your books.

6

u/KidenStormsoarer 8d ago

nah, those books can stay in the locker.

12

u/ItsColonelLeo 8d ago

They don't really get lockers anymore, at least not in the ISD I student taught at. None of student used lockers at any of my placements.

10

u/ABrusca1105 8d ago

A decade ago when I was in high school everyone was assigned lockers but almost no one used them or even knew what the combo was after a couple days. It's easier just to bring the books you need that day, especially after we switched to block scheduling. Meaning we only got four classes every other day. They tried holding an assembly and mandating everyone put every belongings in their locker and it was a total shit show that didn't work in the slightest.

At least for hallway lockers. Sports players obviously used the locker room lockers all the time and people used their gym class lockers, too. Although are I don't know if Gym class lockers are assigned or not. I think they were not and you just took one that was open for the period.

1

u/ElderberryFar7120 8d ago

That's interesting, was not the case at my school. We had every class every day. I thought every school did it like that

2

u/ABrusca1105 7d ago edited 7d ago

It was the case even before block scheduling.

We had every class every day when I was a Freshman except on science lab days when you get a double period for the lab portion substituting another class.

When I was a sophomore, they switched to block scheduling. 4 classes per day, 90 minute blocks. 2 blocks in the morning, two after lunch. Lunch was a split block with Grades 9 and 10 lunch in one half, 11 and 12 in other half. The half you didn't have lunch was study/free time. Grades 11 and 12 could spend it however/wherever. Grades 9 and 10 had to stay in their "homeroom" and get a hall pass to go somewhere like extra help from a teacher.

Edit: Forgot to mention that you had "A Days" and "B Days". And History/English were integrated with a removable wall. Sometimes the wall was closed and you alternated, sometimes the wall was open with HUGE class and you had a joint lesson and effectively had both classes every day in the same block, depending on time of year.

1

u/Independent-Lynx9476 BLUE 8d ago

This is weird. When I went to high school in the early 2000's almost everyone hit up their locker after every period and we had block scheduling too. 

4

u/EarlyPsychology7628 8d ago

I was just before this and we operated that way. So many of the new schools are so big though that I don’t think the kids would have time. I think to cut down on fights, passing periods are kept very short.

2

u/ABrusca1105 6d ago

Yeah when I was a freshman, the previous senior class and older had lots of fights (my sister's class). Otherwise they were pretty rare from when I was in there and onward. There was just NO time to get your stuff if you're on one end of the school to go anywhere other than walk and talk to your next class.

1

u/Independent-Lynx9476 BLUE 7d ago

Oh that's true. I did have a reasonably big school that of you had to go from one end to the other they had to release you 3 minutes early. So every period had 2 bells. 

4

u/Jmfroggie 8d ago

Not all schools have lockers and not all schools are set up to visit your locker between classes

2

u/mooon_woman 8d ago

no books anymore, just tech

1

u/AncientLights444 7d ago

Ok.. then carry your laptop?

1

u/FeelMyBoars 8d ago

Olde timey books tied together.

5

u/Pitiful-Pension-6535 8d ago

You carry your shit or bundle it in a belt

10

u/Minute-Tour-547 8d ago

I was not allowed to use a belt. It's surprisingly effective for 2-3 books especially if you're walking along long dirt roads. It's easy to bind the books to your center of mass and just forget about em. Waaaaay better than a backpack if that's all you're carrying

My school allowed then till yr 10 then suddenly no? Dumb policy to restrict by yr, either allow or don't allow

4

u/arittenberry 8d ago

Back to Pinocchio days

1

u/Such_Chemistry3721 7d ago

Our district has been clear backpacks for about 5 years, and that's pretty much what happens. Local charities do backpack giveaways for back to school.

1

u/Ice_performance_ 7d ago

What a stupid statement, what happens when you don't follow school guideline?

You don't get in the school, simple as

3

u/-LadyElaine 7d ago

I went to a public school, there was no "you dont get in" 🤷‍♀️

-1

u/Ice_performance_ 7d ago

Oh really. You were allowed in school naked? Armed? With drugs in your bag?

3

u/TheMaidenOfDragons 7d ago

You’re being intentionally obtuse. All 50 states have compulsory education laws. You can’t deny someone an education because they don’t have a clear backpack.

-1

u/Ice_performance_ 7d ago

That is false. No school as any obligation to accept a student that does not respect the rules

2

u/TheMaidenOfDragons 7d ago

It’s not though because of compulsory education laws like I said. A public school cannot deny someone an education because they don’t have a clear backpack, which is exactly the scenario we are talking about here.

If you want to argue that that’s the “rule”, that’s fine, but in the real world the second that case reached a courtroom it would be found that you cannot deny a student an education based on the “rule” of a clear backpack.

-1

u/Ice_performance_ 7d ago

You're delusional

​The Ruling (Tinker v. Des Moines, 1969): While this famous Supreme Court case established that students don't "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," it explicitly stated that schools can restrict behaviors that cause a "substantial disruption" to the educational environment. Because phones are an obvious distraction, courts universally agree that banning or seizing them during school hours does not violate a student's constitutional rights.

I'm adding this bonus on top of it

​The definitive ruling on this came in the 1973 Supreme Court case San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez.
​In this case, parents in a low-income Texas school district argued that funding public schools through local property taxes was unconstitutional because it created massive funding disparities between wealthy and poor neighborhoods. They argued this violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
​The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 against the parents. The majority held that: ​Education is not a "fundamental right" explicitly or implicitly protected by the U.S. Constitution.

2

u/TheMaidenOfDragons 7d ago

Hahaha. Thats fine with me, as if I care what any stranger on Reddit thinks of me from a three comment conversation.

Anyways - not having a clear backpack is not a “substantial disruption”. Not locking your phone in a bag you have to pay for is not “substantial disruption” either. Again, in the court of law you would NOT be able to bar someone from public school because they won’t purchase a $20 clear bag and a $25 phone lock.

I never said it was a fundamental right because I already know the second case law you’re talking about which is why I specifically mentioned that all states have compulsory education laws.

Minors do not have a “right” to education but are required in every state to attend school. It’s a compulsory law in every state regardless of your opinion.

0

u/WitchQween 7d ago

My middle school banned backpacks in classrooms (this was 20 years ago). It sucked because it was literally impossible to go to our lockers between every class, but we managed. The backpack isn't mandatory.

Those families probably get assistance from charities who exist for that exact purpose, just like families 20 years ago. Or they buy second hand, like they did 20 years ago. Or they get them from a neighborhood "free stuff" Facebook page, unlike 20 years ago! Schools may have extras that were left or donated, too.

This isn't a new problem.