Dozens of clear backpacks fall apart days after APS requires them at six schools

One week and $90,000 later, dozens of clear backpacks at one Albuquerque middle school have begun to fall apart at the seams after students were required to swap their old backpacks for the new plastic ones.

"We have received complaints from some families that the clear backpacks their child received last week have already broken," said Martin Salazar, spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools. "We’ve reached out to the vendor that sold us the backpacks and are looking at alternatives. At this time, we have replacement backpacks available for students who need them."

Salazar said parents of students at Cleveland Middle School “raised concerns about the quality of the backpacks” but he did not know how many families had issued a complaint.

"To date, Cleveland Middle School has issued 38 replacement bags," Salazar said. "The school is planning to provide replacements to another 23 students today and has an additional 80 replacement bags on site."

Cleveland was one of five middle schools that opted in to the new policy that requires clear backpacks on APS campuses. Wilson, Kennedy, Hayes and Washington middle schools joined the policy on the same day. Taylor Middle School began enforcing the policy in 2021 and Del Norte High School will begin enforcing the policy in August. 

Shannon Dailey, a mother of two sixth graders at Cleveland Middle School, said three days after one of her daughters received the backpack, the plastic began to rip at the seams and fell apart.

 "The straps were breaking off and I did see the kids carrying their backpack with straps off," Dailey said. She said she was not happy that the school required the new backpacks in the winter semester — a few days after Christmas — and said it would have been better for APS to implement the policy at the beginning of the new school year.

Shortly after the policy was implemented, Dailey bought new clear backpacks for her children that she says are higher quality and more secure.

APS purchased 7,000 of the bags for $90,000.

"They wasted money on these useless backpacks," Dailey said. "That $90,000 could have been better spent somewhere else."

School instructional councils made the decision on whether to opt into the policy after families at each school were sent a survey about the policy. Salazar said instructional councils can also withdraw from the policy at their own discretion.

"We continue to support these schools as they implement their clear backpack policies," Salazar said. "Schools typically review their policies annually."

Dailey said she took the survey and voted to opt out of the policy. She said she hopes to see the results of the survey to have a better understanding of who voted for the policy and why.

"I get why they want the clear backpacks but at the same time, if kids want to bring a gun to school, they'll find another way," she said. "I think a better solution would be metal detectors."

Salazar said APS is looking into alternative vendors for new backpacks. Currently, 4imprint — a merchandise company based in London — provides the backpacks. 

“We are currently looking at local vendors as well as online sources,” Salazar said.

Parents are required to pay for a replacement backpack if a student loses or breaks their bag and each student received one free backpack from APS. If a student does not have a replacement backpack, schools will issue a clear plastic grocery bag for students to use in the meantime.

Salazar said that as of Tuesday, APS had 4,350 replacement clear backpacks on hand, and if a student reported that their backpack had broken, it would be replaced for free.

Dailey said there is already a waitlist for students to replace their backpacks and her daughters said many students at Cleveland have been carrying their items in grocery bags.

"The fact that APS put everybody in such a dilemma makes me really sad," she said. "There are a lot of issues at hand that I don't think were really thought about."

Salazar said that there is no current waitlist for a replacement and school staff are meeting with each student to figure out potential changes so the backpacks won't rip. 

"They are discussing strategies for any clear bag, such as keeping the weight down as much as possible, not carrying water bottles inside the bag, carrying only their morning supplies, and then switching over to their afternoon supplies at lunch, and so on," he said. "For about 10 students, this has meant the school has given lockers and free locks to students who had declined that option at the beginning of the year."

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.