The three-inch binder needs to go

Three-inch binders are a mandate that has outdated its usefulness.

Ask a student at MacArthur Fundamental about what bothers them, and one of the first answers will be the three-inch binder.  For too many students, the three-inch binder is too heavy, bulky, and it just needs to go.  

A solution to this problem is that students can carry whatever size binder as long as the have one with them.  The students can try to clean out as many papers in their binder to try to loosen up the weight.  Also, the student can take out supplies that they can carry in their arms.  Even though these are some solutions, some students will still have problems with the binders.

14,000 children are seen for backpack-related injuries every year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This is caused by the heavy weight applied from the school supplies and their binder.  The 3 inch binder is big itself, but when the inder is filled with many papers, it tends to get very heavy.

“The weight of a backpack should be less than 10-15 percent of a child’s body weight,” says, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.  A lot of students are carrying more than their own body weight.  My backpack was weighed and it was 15 pounds without a chromebook. If a chromebook was added, it would’ve weighed 20 pounds.  

Some students already have back problems.  Adding the extra weight of a 3 inch binder will really injure the student. If a student has a smaller binder than the expectations, the student is punished for trying to not have back pain throughout the day.  

Although the 3 inch binder is the cause of the heaviness, there is a way that it can be useful.  For example, a 3 inch binder can be seen as a way that students can always be organized and prepared.  Even though the 3 inch binder can be useful for organization for a lot of work, it isn’t worth it for you’re back.

Concluding, it would be better if the students chose what binder to use to not affect their back.  Doing this will allow students to not be piled by their backpack.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/health/beware-of-backpacks-14000-children-treated-yearly-for-injuries-b9984635z1-222888831.html