Editorials
Assembly seeks study on effects of carrying backpacks
SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers are wondering if those book-laden backpacks that many kids must lug to school are hurting their backs.
The Assembly approved a bill Thursday that asks state school and health officials to study whether carrying heavy backpacks can cause spinal damage.
Many schools have removed lockers because of drug and security concerns, meaning students must carry all their books around all day.
The author, Assemblyman Rod Pacheco, R-Riverside, said his 6-year-old daughter carries a book bag that seems to weigh as much as she does.
People from other planets will visit California some day and find “people with curvature of the spine and they’re going to think we’re gnomes,” said Assemblywoman Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino.
The bill was sent to the Senate by a 59-1 vote.
On the Net:
Read the bill, AB1030, at http://www.sen.ca.gov