School can weigh heavily on the mind of many students, but what about the literal weight of school, in the backpacks students carry? Between clubs, sports, classes, and homework, the supplies pile up. The average City High student has seven classes a day, which means seven notebooks or binders, a few textbooks, literature, and ruler — just for good measure. Our students carry too large of a burden.

Many doctors and physical therapists recommend that backpacks should weigh less than 15% of the student’s body weight. Though long-term effects are unclear, researchers agree that heavy backpacks can lead to general back pain, problems with circulation and nerves, and bad posture. Kids with heavy backpacks have been found to be more susceptible to back problems as adults. Long term effects aside, the day to day frustrations create a feeling of being weighed down. Heavy backpacks are annoying and limiting to carry around. Many students also carry instruments and sports equipment. All of these items leave students with their backs bent and hands full.

So what can City High do to backtrack the problem?

Switching to chromebooks does help eliminate the necessity of notebooks, and many textbooks are online; however binders and journals are still common. At the beginning of the school year, teachers require large binders, notebooks, and other bulky school materials. Notes are rarely online, despite students having chromebooks, meaning bringing home the entire notebook to reference one page (or the student has to rip the page out — which leads to disorganization). Through a difficult issue to address, education about how much backpacks should weigh could be helpful. Additionally, it may be useful to survey students about their experiences, and sample backpacks weights to better understand the local problem. If, as many students suspect, most backpacks exceed their recommended weight, students and teachers should have a conversation about expectations and strategies for reducing the burden. After all, it’s hard to have a great day as a City High Little Hawk when your backpack is far too heavy.