Lockers will not return this school year
Arnav Majeti, an eighth-grader on the Yellowjackets team, carries his backpack past empty lockers.
RCMS staff have decided that lockers will remain unavailable for students for the rest of the 2021-2022 school year, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the convenience of backpacks.
“Lockers can be beneficial or nonbeneficial in many ways,” said Mr. Christopher Powell, an assistant principal of RCMS.
Mr. Powell said lockers help when it’s cold outside. Students are able to put their jackets and backpacks inside their locker, then retrieve it at the end of the day.
Also, lockers give students some individualism, some space that they can call their own to place any necessary belongings.
Lockers can be convenient in a classroom/hallway environment too. Students don’t trip over backpacks and supplies because they’re able to place it inside of their locker.
Despite all the benefits, this year, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. One drawback is having to slow down to get your class supplies from your locker every time the bell rings, making the possibility of you getting tardy higher.
Having lockers also means students will be in a compact space standing near each other, which is a concern regarding COVID-19.
Furthermore, this year’s process of students getting to their buses has gotten smoother and more efficient from previous years. Kids don’t have to stop at their lockers at the end of each day; they can just go directly to their bus.
Mr. Powell adds that in the past, the school has had shortages of lockers, so something the staff has to do is balance out the amount of students to the amount of lockers.
He also mentioned that lockers will be accessible for certain specific reasons for some students.
Mr. Powell said most likely lockers will be back for the 2022-2023 school year.
