GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — After the state’s largest school district decided not to move forward with a clear backpack program, a Gwinnett County mother is making sure they don’t go to waste.
Last year, the district announced plans for a pilot program to test out requiring students to use clear backpacks for safety. The district provided all students at participating schools with clear backpacks, so nothing came out of parents’ pockets.
But when the program went into effect earlier this year, it was not popular with students, so the district opted not to move forward with the program.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke to a mother who has been collecting as many of those backpacks as she can to send to children who need them.
“I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s dig a little deeper. Let’s figure out someone that could use them more than we can,’” Jenny Daniels said. “It’s just sitting here, and I would love to know that a kid in Haiti or in another impoverished country could use it.”
Clear backpacks are a valuable resource in Haiti where students struggle to get enough school supplies to learn.
Daniels connected with a program called Edu-Pack which will ship the bags to students who need them.
“Because they don’t have a backpack, they can’t get an education,” Daniels said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- UGA student’s smiling mugshot breaks the internet
- Pres. Trump signs executive order to dismantle Dept. of Education
- DeKalb father, girlfriend sentenced for beating 5-year-old to death for not cleaning up the house
Instead of clear backpacks, Gwinnett County Schools is installing weapons detection systems on some campuses.
“A lot of parents are going, ‘Gosh, I’m so glad you’re doing this initiative,’” Daniels said.
She says she has already collected nearly 100 backpacks and hopes to be able to get even more.
“We can get some school supplies in there, fill those bags, get them an education,” she said.
If you’d like to donate a bag, they’re collecting them at the Chick-fil-A on Stone Mountain Hwy.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
