CMS can’t get refund on 46,000 clear backpacks; will auction off
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is auctioning off its unused inventory of 46,000 clear backpacks — the district’s last attempt to recoup money it spent under a plan for increased security amid a crisis of guns being found in schools.
CMS spent almost half-a-million dollars on the backpacks for high school students. Critics, however, said little to no research has proven that the backpacks can help stop weapons at the door, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The backpacks ultimately were not used after CMS officials were surprised while unpacking the shipments to find cancer warnings on them.
At its regular meeting Tuesday, the CMS Board of Education is scheduled to approve selling the backpacks and other surplus property via online bids, according to the agenda item authorizing the sale.
District spokeswoman Cassie Fambro said in a statement Saturday: “After exhausting options for return and resell, the superintendent’s recommendation to the Board of Education on Tuesday is dispersion of the inventory in surplus auction.”
In a special report published in January by the Observer, interviews with more than a dozen school safety experts, educators, parents and students revealed most prefer the district to take fundamental proactive steps to safety, rather than address the gun crisis through mandating clear backpacks and using metal detectors.
Over two years, CMS plans to spend millions to add both employees and support programs, and increase the number of social workers, counselors and psychologists in schools, according to the report. CMS was set to begin paying for outpatient mental health treatment for eligible students.
Guns in CMS schools
At least 30 guns were found on CMS campuses during the 2021-22 academic year, which ended Wednesday, June 8.
In the latest incident involving students and guns, two teenagers were arrested at Harding University High School in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old last weekend, police said Wednesday.
Last week, an Observer analysis found CMS saw a welcomed slide in its second half of the school year in the number of guns found on campuses. After breaking in just a few months into the school year the previous full year record for guns, the district saw a turnaround after Christmas break. Many attribute the improvement to the placement of body scanners at some high schools to detect weapons; wider use of an anonymous reporting app by students; and increased awareness of the problem.
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 3:39 PM.