Students prompt resolution about bulging backpacks
Wednesday, October 8, 2003
By CHERYL BELLER , Advance Newspaper
October is officially Backpack Safety Month in Michigan, thanks to students from Forest Hills Northern Middle School who brought the issue of health risks from overloaded backpacks to the attention of Michigan legislators.
Students in Carole Cotts' advanced social studies class won this year's statewide Project Citizen competition for their public policy initiative called "Oh, My Aching Back." The recognition prompted Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to sign a House Resolution, proclaiming October as the month to be aware of the harmful effects of heavy backpacks.
A solution to perennial student backpack overload is the brainchild of Northern eighth-graders Catherine Coyne, Kristin Winn, Lauren Smith, and Kellie Dykman. Their solution would have teachers keep an extra set of textbooks in the classroom to share so students wouldn't need to transport books back and forth between home and school. Students would keep their textbooks at home for homework, and use classroom texts at school, the students suggest.
And although current budget constraints make their solution unlikely this year, when the economy improves, some Michigan teachers may have an extra set of shared textbooks in classrooms to lighten their students' backpack load. The students' solution is a promising one, said Cotts.
"With this year's budget cuts, we thought it was unfair to ask a district closing schools to purchase another set of books," she said.
Her students took up the issue of overloaded backpacks last year during a pilot civics program at their school. Along with other students, they were granted a hearing with the Michigan House Civics Commission, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who invite students to present testimony on various issues important to them. The MHCC was created to give students experience and a voice in Michigan Legislature.
State Rep. Doug Hart, R-Rockford, co-chair of MHCC, "really liked the (backpack safety) idea, came to our classroom, and said he wanted to take it to the next level," said Cotts.
The Commission was "very pleased with the amount of scientific information brought forth by the students testifying," said Hart.
Cotts' entire seventh-grade advanced social studies class got involved in researching the backpack safety issue. Last May, the class traveled to Lansing to testify at a meeting of the Michigan House Education Committee. Forest Hills students who testified included Kristin, Lauren, and then seventh-graders Karl Crist, Cody Falk, and Andy Scott.
They also participated in Project Citizen, a statewide competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education through Law. The program encourages middle school students to engage in public policy initiatives through identification of an issue, research, and an action plan.
In September, Granholm invited the four girls who initiated the backpack study to a special Michigan House Civics Commission luncheon in Novi.
"I'm so proud of them," said Cotts. "They were professional, articulate, and acted like gracious young ladies in front of the governor."
Cotts' students weighed their own backpacks and those carried by other students and came up with an average weight of 30 pounds. Their research revealed that in 1999, 3,400 students between the ages of 5 and 14 sought emergency room treatment for injuries related to backpacks, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"It makes people in school districts more aware of the ongoing problem," said Kristin, who weighs in at 95 pounds, carries a 28-pound backpack, and sees a doctor for back problems. Kristin said backpacks should not exceed 10 percent of a person's weight, according to the American Chiropractic Association.
The students said overloaded backpacks are a health risk, beginning in kindergarten and extending through the end of high school.
"My back has been worse since I've been a cheerleader," said Kristin. "My backpack keeps getting heavier; I get more homework. Whenever I go to a doctor, I get a CAT scan."
The students recall beginning to carry heavy backpacks as young children when they assumed carrying a heavy load on one's back was just a normal part of school culture.
"I remember in third grade, complaining about the pain in my shoulders," said Catherine. "I remember weighing my backpack one day and it was 25 pounds."
"My backpack was so heavy when I was young, I was leaning over, trying to hold it up," recalled Kellie. "I just thought that's how backpacks are supposed to be."
Catherine also recalls a backpack disproportionately heavy in elementary school, but she didn't complain. "I thought that was how it was," said Catherine.
"My brothers always have to get new backpacks because they are so full, they split open," said Lauren.
Cotts said some teachers might feel guilty about giving homework when they see students straining under the weight of heavy backpacks. "As a teacher I feel so bad when I see them walking out to buses," she said. "I feel bad because I gave them homework."
Kristin said her classmates "were excited that this went so far."
Lauren said, "Politics sounds really interesting now."
"This is just what the Michigan House of Representatives had in mind when we established the Civics Commission," said Hart. "It is great to see students working hard to make a difference in state government. I've been impressed with the quality and quantity of good ideas presented by our students.
"When you consider that the MHCC has only been in existence for a few months, it's simply amazing to have witnessed the initiative and effort put forth by our students. As we embark on the new year, we can only imagine what will be accomplished by this lasting partnership."
Since December of 2002, the Civics Commission has held 14 public hearings within Michigan's K-12 schools. The commission plans hearings throughout the state this school year to help students learn about civics and give them an opportunity to influence public policy.