Marjory Stoneman Douglas students must use only clear backpacks after shooting

Ryan W. Miller | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Parkland students will be required to carry clear backpacks, ID As a school safety measure, students who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida will be required to carry clear backpacks.

Students at the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people will be required to carry only clear backpacks on campus once they return from spring break, Broward Schools superintendent said in a letter to families Wednesday.

Students will be provided the backpacks for free, superintendent Robert Runcie said in the letter to families of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students.

Students will also be required to wear identification badges at all times.

Additional security personnel will also be present on the Parkland, Fla., campus, and the school district is considering metal detectors, Runcie said.

"We want to assure you that the safety and security of our students

and employees remain our highest priorities," he wrote.

The increased measures come just over a month after the deadly Feb. 14 shooting and a number of security incidents that followed at the high school. On Monday, The brother of the teen accused of killing 17 was recently charged with trespassing, and a deputy tasked with patrolling the campus was suspended after falling asleep in his patrol car.

Runcie also announced a number of increased security measures for all Broward schools, including wearing identification badges, locking classroom doors at all times and evaluating active shooter training.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas students pushed back against their new backpack requirements on social media, repeating their calls for stricter gun laws instead.

Great. Because clear backpacks are gonna fix everything. I appreciate the attempt, but I’d rather have common since gun laws than a clear backpack.



#NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough https://t.co/1HRudeSOib — Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) March 21, 2018

Spending money on giving us clear backpacks is a joke. — Lex Michael (@lexforchange) March 22, 2018

clear backpacks is just the illusion of security — Kyra Parrow (@longlivekcx) March 22, 2018

Students around the country Saturday plan to hold protests against gun violence in schools dubbed the "March for Our Lives." In the wake of the massacre at their schools, Marjory Stoneman Douglas students sparked a widespread movement renewing efforts for gun control. Earlier this months, students around the USA walked out of their classrooms for 17 minutes to honor the Parkland victims.

More: Sales of bulletproof doors and windows boom as Parkland students return to school

In part due to pressure from the students' activism, Florida lawmakers passed the state's first gun control measures in 22 years earlier this month. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill that prohibited gun sales to anyone under the age 21 and created a plan to arm some teachers.

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