OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Dunkirk High School senior Kyler Huels, this year’s student Board of Education member (right), speaks Tuesday at the board’s meeting. At left is junior Zachary Zentz, who also spoke.

The students in Dunkirk’s senior high school want their backpacks back, and administrators are apparently inclined to allow it.

Kyler Huels, a senior who is the student representative on the Board of Education, offered a presentation to the group this week based on a student survey he recently did about backpacks.

Students in the school are no longer supposed to carry backpacks, a consequence of the security concerns sweeping American schools after a series of deadly shootings. They can carry cases for school-issued Chromebooks, and stuff whatever else they can in them.

According to Huels and most of the students he surveyed, that’s not good enough.

An average student has too many things to carry to fit them in a Chromebook case, and “it just doesn’t fit,” he said.

Huels received 250 responses to his survey, from students in grades nine through 12. He said 83% of students had carried a backpack to class since Sept. 6, despite the policy. Some 95% of students disagreed with the policy and 90% said it did not make them feel safer.

“This policy dictates that students should bring certain things and leave others in their lockers,” Huels said, “For this to successfully work, students need more time than what is currently allotted. Teachers are not always willing to let students go to their lockers.”

Students currently get three minutes between classes, and Huels suggested expanding that to four or five minutes.

Huels also said, “The Chromebook bag that we are supposed to put our things in is definitely large enough (10 by 15 inches) to contain weaponry or illegal substances.”

He asked school authorities to consider allowing backpacks again or acquiring clear bags for students to use.

A junior, Zachary Zentz, joined Huels and spoke after he did. Zentz said students were allowed to carry backpacks during his first two years of high school and there was not one threat or problem resulting from it. (It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic forced remote learning for much of Zentz’ freshman year.)

He said backpacks offer “many advantages when it comes to student readiness.” They are very helpful with organization and thus help “relieve stress and anxiety.” Meanwhile, banning them “offers a false sense of security,” he added.

Rebecca Farwell, secondary school principal, did her own survey of faculty about the issue. She said about 75% were open to the idea of returning backpacks.

Farwell said she was going to look at ways to allow them back but wanted to hear the Board of Education’s thoughts first. Board President Kenneth Kozlowski complimented Huels’ presentation and said he was inclined to back the backpacks. However, he stated that the decision is up to school administrators and does not fall into the realm of board policy.

No formal decision on the backpacks was made.