Does your school have lockers?
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Does your school have lockers?
| Wed, 08-02-2006 - 5:39pm |
Does/will your junior/middle school student have lockers at your school? If not how to they compensate?
The conversation about backpacks got me thinking about this. I find it a bit annoying that DD's school doesn't have lockers nor will it when it moves to it's new building in October. It seems that new schools aren't putting in lockers and older ones are taking them out. Instead kids have to lug all their stuff around all day.
My DD's school compensates by sending home a set of books for home, and keeps a set in the classroom. But this still means that DD has to lug all her stuff around all day, including coats/umbrella's when it's raining, and her lunch.


Diana (Sara 11 yrs, Timothy 7 yrs)

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The schools here are equipped with lockers beginning in grade 5. They have gym lockers as well. In 5th and 6th grade, they share a locker with another student, but grades 7-12 they'll have their own locker.
I can't imagine sending them to school where they'd have no locker, or at the very least, a coat closet. During the winter, it'd be bad enough to lug around the day's worth of books, but it'd be cruel for the students to have no place to store their jackets/hats/gloves/etc.
Are the schools by you one level and are they allowed rolling backpacks? Those aren't allowed here because we have multi-level schools and they don't fit well in lockers.
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We have lockers starting in Grade 5 as well. The big problem is there is not enough for all the kids so they have to share. Try fitting two backpacks, 2 sets of winter boots, 2 big parkas and 2 pair of snow pants in one of those small lockers. Its nuts. I don't know if she will get her own locker this year or not. I have no idea about middle school though. I assume they will have lockers.
That seems nuts to drag your coat from class to class when you only need it at the end of the day or your lunch bag at lunch time.
Yes our middle school does have lockers.
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No lockers here. They do have coat hooks for their coats and backpacks. They all have a desk in their homeroom for their books and other supplies. There's also a shelf above their coat hooks to put the books they need for the next class.
My kids go to a K-8. There are only 2 7th grade classes. They switch rooms for all their classes. THey don't have to walk very far for anything. And, no, they don't have problems with people stealing stuff. (well, maybe pens and pencils)
My daughter's middle school is only two years old and has lockers. She's really looking forward to having a locker she doesn't have to share, and which can be locked. (Our elementary school has cubbies and lockers from kindergarten through 5th grade, but they're shared and don't have locks.)
What is the reason for the trend of eliminating lockers? I thought there was a ton of research on the dangers of heavy backpacks. Here in New England, and in other cold places, I can't imagine a kid being able to lug the coat, gloves, hat, and boots along with all the academic stuff they need.
My kids school is also K-8 and there are currently only 2 7th grade classes, but with the move to the new school there will be about 100 kids in each grade.. and that translates to 3 classes of middle school students. Because of this.. there middle school is small, only about 8 classrooms so there isn't a lot of walking around. Yes it's only one floor. K-5th the kids have desks and/or cubbies to keep their stuff. In 6-8th the kids are allowed rolling backpacks and it does help.
I don't see why they can't have open lockers. Your system sounds good, with the open cubbies. I believe schools are worried about what kids might keep in lockers (drugs, weapons). But I am not sure this solves the problem because they could be kept in their backpacks. In addition the kids backpacks are often left unattended outside, while the kids play gym, or are at recess, or in some classroom while at assembles. So there is still a problem of theft.
Part of the reason there are no lockers in the current building is that it was never indended to hold a middle school, and space is severly limited. But I thought they might build something into our new facility. The older junior high's in town all have lockers.
Luckly heavy coats/boots are rarely needed. It's only occationally in the winter when it storms (rains hard). We don't have a gym, or indoor lunchroom. All the schools are like that, only the high schools have indoor gyms. The days the weather is bad the kids have to eat in their classrooms, watch vids in the mutipurpose room for recess and PE turns into a study hall.
Diana (Sara 11 yrs, Timothy 7 yrs)
Starting in the middle school the kids get a top and bottom locker. We go to a private school and there are no locks on the lockers. Most kids put their gym bags, lunch and backpack in the bottom and keep the books up top.
They aren't allowed to bring backpacks or coats into the classrooms.
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