(April 22, 1999) — School materials such as textbooks and binders are essential learning and organizational aids for academic success. However, these educational tools are also contributing something else to the student body: back pains. Many students carry heavy loads of books, binders and notebooks in their backpacks. A majority of student-owned backpacks are not only packed with knowledge useful for school but also tremendous weight that causes constant discomfort for their owners. The issue of heavy backpacks has rapidly spread in the past years with many schools abolishing their lockers due to security reasons. Without lockers to be used as helpful storage spaces, students are put into a position in which they use their backpacks like U-Haul trucks. Students often complain about the painful side effects caused by the use of backpacks as lockers. People who do not take this subject seriously probably think that students fuss too much and that they complain about everything pertaining to school. These individuals could not be any more wrong. A chiropractor confirmed the possible physical health implications caused by the heavy weight of backpacks, according to the Panama City News Herald. It reported that students are in danger of possibly developing spinal curvature from a constant use of heavy backpacks. Exposing the spine to a long duration of stress caused by the weight of backpacks may lead to some types of scoliosis, according to this chiropractor. Clark Magnet High School provides a much better situation for students because of the size of the campus. Unlike larger schools that cover a lot of space, students here do not find themselves traveling great distances from class to class. A majority of the student body is even transported to school by bus, so walking to and from school is not a major issue. But there is always the walk to the bus stop, which may be quite a distance for some. The block-schedule also cuts down on materials required to be brought to school, but not everyone is accommodated. There are still the less fortunate students who find themselves bringing several books to school on certain days. There are options available to solve the problem and the one that often arises before others is the presence of lockers. Though the hesitance of the district and school administration is justified, there are new locker designs that would cut down the security hassles. Recently, a Pasadena school utilized a design of a locker in which the doors were made of plexiglass. This allows the school to safely monitor the contents of the lockers. Class sets of books would also be another acceptable solution, and it would eliminate the need for lockers. It is not impossible nor is it difficult to solve the problem with heavy backpacks. Hopefully, a solution may be reached at this school, thus lightening the already heavy load of school-related problems being “lugged around” by students.