How Heavy is Your Child's Backpack?

[luvsJack]

Dd is in 7th grade. For the past 15 years, 7th graders in our school have always gotten lockers. Well apparently last year someone messed up (not sure how) and the lockers were taken out. That means that they have to carry everything.

They do not have History, Reading or Language text books. We were told that they would each be issued 2 math books and 2 science books so that one could be kept at home and one at school. This would help ease up the load the kids have to carry. Well, there isn't enough math books so the kids are having to share--doesn't work well. And for some reason, the Science teacher took away the book at school. So, now they have to carry these two textbooks.

With these two books, the novel dd is reading for class and all the binders and spiral notebooks, dd's backpack weight between 25 and 30 pounds! I am planning to send an email to the assistant principal, the principal and the superintendent tomorrow to see is something can be done.

Before I send it off, I was just wondering if this is normal for 7th grade kids? And what on earth would we do if they had the other 3 textbooks?? There must be some schools that do use textbooks for every class and have to carry it all. Don't the parents complain?

I just don't think the "punishment" of doing away with lockers was very well thought out.

 

[mommasita]

My son is in grade 9, and his bag is about 25 lbs. That being said, they don't get their lockers until next week. Once they do receive their lockers, the weight will go down significantly for most.

I wish my son USED his locker more. He carries almost EVERYTHING in his bag . He goes to the same school I did, has the same schedule, more time between classes. We never did that. We carried the morning stuff, at lunch brought it to our lockers, and repeated it in the PM.

I have never said anything. I see most lugging these bags.

NO lockers is nuts IMHO. We could never get away with it. We have a VERY strong winter, and they need to store their boots/coats...

 

[golfgal]

They are HEAVY!!! Our school has gradually moved to online text books and all of the kids' classes except their 2 AP classes have online text books now. Their AP Am Lit class only has novels so those aren't a big deal but their AP US History book is HUGE and heavy but still better then carrying around books for 5-6 classes every day. They have lockers but don't usually have enough time to get to their lockers each hour or more then once/day so they carry everything with them all day. The school encourages the kids to carry backpacks so they have what they need with them.

 

[scrapquitler]

My freshman's backpack is about 25bs. She has block scheduling, so she only needs each group of books every other day. So on A days she only needs books for 3 classes, and on B days, she needs the books for the other 3 classes. If she were in a situation where she had to carry all 6 books every day, the backpack would not close. The World History, Physical Science and Algebra books are huge and thick.

DH and I went on Ebay this week and bought extra copies of all her textbooks (for about $200), so that she won't ever have to carry textbooks home...she has to walk a little over 1 1/2 miles (all up hill in one direction) each way to school, and we figured it would be a problem carrying that backpack. A 20-25lb backpack is about 25% of her body weight..and it is reccomended that kids carry a backpack that weighs no more than 15% of their body weight.

 

[auntie]

Our kids were not allowed to carry back packs from class to class. (my youngest just graduated high school in June) Couple of reasons. Liability issues for one. We've had kids who had been injured after tripping and falling over back packs that weren't completely under a chair. Additionally, there is more opportunity for things that shouldn't be in school to be transported about the building. Be they drugs..or a weapon. Back packs stayed in the lockers till the end of the day.

That being said, I remember when my son was in 7th grade..and his back pack probably weighed more than he did. I swear I saw him walking down the street..and he looked as if he was gonna fall backwards!

 

[diznygirl]

They took away lockers at our school this year. The backpacks are between 25-30 pounds, as another poster said. Rolling backpacks don't help because it's two stories. They haven't offered any other solution like another set of books. They also haven't offered an explanation - new principal, go figure.

 

[golfgal]

They took away lockers at our school this year. The backpacks are between 25-30 pounds, as another poster said. Rolling backpacks don't help because it's two stories. They haven't offered any other solution like another set of books. They also haven't offered an explanation - new principal, go figure.

A lot of schools won't allow rolling backpacks either because they are so easy to trip over-think strollers in a crowed Disney park .

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

When I was in high school, my backpack usually weighed 60 pounds. This is without and sports equipment. In college, it varies by term and day of the week but at it's heaviest, it's 68 pounds on Monday and Wednesdays.

 

[minniebeth]

The backpacks for middle schoolers and some high schoolers (my DS is fortunate to have a second set of books to keep at home for homework) is ridiculous! Not only do they have tons of books to carry, but this year and last year (DD is in 8th grade), they have a required 2" binder for each subject.
Why? I don't have any idea, I really don't think a 2" binder for every subject is necessary. Plus required reading books for 2 of her classes, plus their AR required reading books, pens/pencil case and the other myriad of junk that girls carry, it's crazy.

Both my older kids do have lockers though which makes it easier, although they are not allowed to carry backpacks during the school day.

OP, I would defianately address the locker situation. There has to be a middle of the road somewhere for the sake of the kids.

 

[mjkacmom]

At least they can carry backpacks! Our JH has lockers, but no time in between classes to stop at them. No backpacks are allowed in the classrooms. We don't get books to keep at home, so my older kids walk 3/4 of a mile with their 40 pound backpacks.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

In elementary school, we were in the same classroom except for gym and lunch all day until 7th grade, when we went down the hall for certain classes (and gym and lunch, obviously). In high school (there's apparently no such thing as middle school in the Chicago Public School district), my backpack weighed anywhere from 45-65 pounds, not including the books I carried in my arms. There was no possible way for me to get to my locker more than three times a day (before first period, before or after lunch, and after last period) because of where it was. The purple circle is where my locker tended to be, since my division (aka homeroom) was in room 154, which was the auto shop and the big room in the top right corner. Between having classes scattered all across the building, on all four floors, and only four minutes to get between them, it just wasn't possible.