Why Are Lockers in Schools Bad?

Lockers, a rite of passage for many school-aged kids, contribute to a heightened excitement about graduating to the higher grades. Lockers take a load off weary backs and provide a useful storage space. However, they also invite disorganization and criminal behavior.

Disorganization

You might believe that lockers encourage kids to be organized. Quite the contrary---many kids arrive late to class due to a jammed locker, or a lock combination that didn't work. A locker can become a chronic problem and create enormous anxiety for students who struggle to keep theirs organized. School lockers typically have a relatively small space on the inside. Students usually force books and notebooks in haphazardly. Items get misplaced or lost in the resulting mess. Additionally, expensive text books get worn down from being jammed into these tight spaces.

Tardy Students

Classes begin and end in a timely manner. Lockers create more congestion and disorganization during times when students pass from one class to another. Kids use time at the lockers as social time and risk being late for class. Due to the proximity of the lockers, students don't have much space to maneuver their bodies or belongings. Some must wait to get at their lockers. This produces a last-minute rush to classes, resulting in an increase in injuries and tardiness.

Bullying

Bullies look for ways to humiliate their victims. A bully may put a threatening note inside someone else's locker. Even if the threat never reaches fruition, it has real psychological ramifications. The victim becomes anxious and unable to concentrate, avoiding her locker for fear of receiving more threats. Kids frequently get teased or bullied while they're at their lockers, out of the teachers' sight.

Criminal Behavior

Random locker searches don't happen enough. Therefore, kids have no deterrence from hiding weapons and drugs in their lockers. Lockers make it too easy for kids to take a quick swig of a spiked bottle of juice. A troubled victim of frequent bullying could bring a gun or other weapon to school and hide it in his locker. Drug pushers have been known to keep their stashes in lockers. Kids have a way of finding out combinations and breaking into lockers. Theft isn't uncommon. Moreover, schools are not liable for any item that goes missing from school.

Weighing the Considerations

Although lockers are useful as storage, their negative aspects outweigh their practicality. Rethinking the storage and management of supplies and coats would simplify students' days and eliminate the need for lockers altogether.

References

• NYDailyNews.com: Kids Who Drink at a Young Age Are More Likely to Abuse as Adults
• KidsHealth.org: Dealing With Bullying
• Washington Post: Students Say Locker Size Is Cramping Their Style

Resources

• National School Boards Association: Eliminating Lockers