Charles County Public Schools
Due to continuing issues with school safety at Charles County Public Schools(CCPS), Superintendent Kimberly A. Hill, Ed.D. emailed parents today to let them know that all CCPS will now enforce a no backpack during school hours policy. However, the new rule allows students to carry a small personal bag, with or without a handle or strap and no larger than the size of a hand.
Several schools in the system already have this in place, however this will now apply to all Schools.
A meeting was held at La Plata High School on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. You can view that meeting along with the letter to parents concerning the backpacks below.
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Starting April 24, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) middle and high school students may carry their backpacks to school but must keep them in their lockers throughout the day. Students will no longer be able to take backpacks into class or wear them during lunch or in school hallways.
The new rule allows students to carry a small personal bag, with or without a handle or strap and no larger than the size of a hand.
Since bags must be kept in lockers during the school day, principals will work with students to ensure they have enough time to go to their lockers between classes and that they have access to their lockers.
The backpack rule is not new to CCPS. Five of our middle and high schools already require students to store their book bags in their lockers throughout the day. The new requirement makes the rule consistent across the school system and strengthens school safety. The change in the rule addresses recent issues where backpacks have been used to store items that threaten school safety.
We work every day to improve the safety and security of our schools and centers. We have adopted a number of new rules, created an anonymous safety reporting tool on the CCPS website, added more emergency training for staff and increased background checks and training for substitutes, volunteers and temporary and new employees.
You can learn more about our school safety enhancements on our security webpage at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/safety-and-security.
Principals will let students know about the change this week. Thank you for your support and cooperation with this expectation.
Sincerely,
Kimberly A. Hill, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools