Florida district will require middle, high school students to use clear backpacks

The Alachua County (Fla.) district will require students at middle and high schools to use clear backpacks next school year. 

School officials said the decision is a reaction to a rise in youth violence locally and nationally, reports The Gainesville Sun. 

In May, an eighth-grade student at Fort Clarke Middle in Gainesville brought a gun to campus. School board member Mildred Russell said that was a factor in the district's action.

The requirement for clear backpacks has drawn criticism. But district officials say bookbags are the main way students bring banned items into schools and that the change will provide a safer environment.

The district said it will provide clear backpacks to families who are unable to provide them, and it will be working with local organizations that provide textbooks.