Believe it or not there are two camps when it comes to the debate of whether or not a school should provide lockers to its students. For most of us this is a foreign topic, since most of us came from background/our youth and our schools ALL had lockers.
CONS: First let's examine the reason why a school shouldn't.
Budget. Yes. Lockers are quite expensive. Sure they last a long time, but that upfront cost can be quite daunting for private schools and charter schools. If your school has a few hundred students, then that could be a hefty amount of cash that could go into athletic equipment, needed computers and other teaching aides that are expensive and not always in supply.
Security. These days with school shootings, gang influence and drugs, administrators have become more and more concerned that students are hiding more than just cherry bombs and cigarettes in their lockers. Guns, heavy drugs and other harmful things can be easily hidden inside. In this aspect a locker becomes a hiding place and not a simple location for books and other academic materials. Having lockers only increases the administrators, teachers and security officer's awareness and vigilance.
Face it. We all want our kids to be safe. Removing lockers can solve this potentially life-threatening issue.
There is one solution however. Some school districts have installed clear-view lockers, which are each and every bit secure as metal lockers, but have a strong plexiglass 'window' in the door to allow for a quick visual inspection as to the locker's contents--thus providing security without having to open each and every locker.
PROS: The case for having lockers available to students in schools is pretty straightforward. Kids have lots of books and other school supplies that they need, and depending upon the classes they take, those supplies can include paints, laptop computers, brushes, specific and additional athletic gear. Can you imagine hauling all of that around the entire day?
Imagine carrying your sweaty gym clothing around from 9am until you go home at 3pm? That alone is a very convincing argument for a school to provide lockers to students. Kids don't want to hassle with smelly athletic clothing--and if you have a daughter, you know how important...critical...it is for their egos to look their very best! Packing your nicely ironed dress or shirt into your backpack of all places--? Nope. That won't work at all.
Physically. Yes this one point alone proves it is a good idea for schools to provide lockers. Now there certainly with obesity, there are concerns about kids getting enough exercise during their early years, but having a kid lug around a heavy backpack full of books while at school is not 'exercise.' It can cause eventual back issues and let's face it; doing that isn't comfortable.
If the average school has just seven classes for a student to attend, that means the student will have to carry around at least seven large books during the entire school season--plus add to that mix numerous syllabus, handouts and laptops and teachers have created a substantial load for those students to carry around. If you don't believe us, ask your child to bring home all of their books, get your scale out of the bathroom and weigh all those books. Then take their other school supplies and pile those on as well. Odds are the total wieght may surprise you.
Providing kids with a place to lock their books up until then allows them to take that weight off their backs and better concentrate on the things that matter most; studying and not an aching back and shoulders.
Creativity. Believe it or not having a locker does allow a creative child to express themselves in the way the decorate it. This wasn't the case years ago before businesses like Locker Lookz, LuvUrLocker, Pottery Barn and Hallmark began producing and selling accessories that students can apply to their lockers to enhance both the look, and functionality of their school locker.
Security. A student cannot be with their stuff each and every second of the day. Especially in gym class, that backpack has to be left somewhere. And if there is no locker, then wherever that bag is, it is not secure and things can easily be stolen from it. There is no other option but a locker to accomplish a better solution when it comes to security.
Lunch. During hard economic times, more students opt to pack a lunch. That lunch is best stored in a place where no one will get to it, and it won't be subsequently crushed between books. A locker as a solution excels at offering both of these issues.
Well those are strictly the facts. We will leave it up to our readers and their unique needs to decide upon if their school needs to instal lockers at all.
Hopefully we haven't missed any debate points above. If you have a thought or opinion, please shoot us a note and let us know your thoughts when it comes to whether or not a school should provide lockers for their students.
