Parkland, Fla.'s David Hogg, whose become famous for his calls for restrictions on the Second Amendment, is attacking new rules governing students' backpacks as an unconstitutional abridgement of their First Amendment rights.
Hogg appeared Friday at a gun control forum with Axios's Mike Allen, where he complained about new rules at Stoneman Douglas High School requiring students use transparent backpacks.
"One of the other important things to realize is many students want their privacy," Hogg said. "There are many, for example, females in our school that when they go through their menstrual cycle, they don’t want people to see their tampons and stuff."
Hogg said going to school under such rules feels like a "prison."
"It’s unnecessary, it’s embarrassing for a lot of the students and it makes them feel isolated and separated from the rest of American school culture where they’re having essentially their First Amendment rights infringed upon because they can’t freely wear whatever backpack they want regardless of what it is," Hogg continued. "It has to be a clear backpack. What we should have is just more policies that make sure that these students are feeling safe and secure in their schools and not like they’re being fought against like it’s a prison.”
Here's a transcript of the exchange:
ALLEN: “One more about school. You mentioned your backpack. What do they do with your backpacks?”
HOGG: “I think after we come back from spring break, they are requiring all of us to have clear backpacks. One of the other important things to realize is many students want their privacy. There are many, for example, females in our school that when they go through their menstrual cycle, they don’t want people to see their tampons and stuff. It’s unnecessary, it’s embarrassing for a lot of the students and it makes them feel isolated and separated from the rest of American school culture where they’re having essentially their First Amendment rights infringed upon because they can’t freely wear whatever backpack they want regardless of what it is. It has to be a clear backpack. What we should have is just more policies that make sure that these students are feeling safe and secure in their schools and not like they’re being fought against like it’s a prison.”