Duluth, Minn., charter says middle school students must have clear backpacks

From The St. Paul Pioneer Press: Students at Washburn Edison Junior Academy in Duluth, Minn., are required to carry clear plastic backpacks this year to go with their mandatory school uniforms. The $10 backpacks with black fabric side panels are meant to prevent students from bringing "anything into the building that isn't supposed to be there," school officials say. No particular incident caused the school to institute the change.