A new item has been banned from Middletown schools.
The Middletown Enlarged City School District announced on its Facebook page that students in grades 6 to 12 will not be allowed to bring stainless steel travel cups, including Stanley cups, into their buildings when the new school year starts Sept. 3.
The district said its concerns were both safety and time consumption.
“This is a proactive decision, as we don’t want to wait until someone gets hurt,” the post said. “This decision is about protecting scholars and keeping our schools safe, welcoming and focused on learning.”
The district says these large, heavy cups can get misused. They note they wouldn’t allow students to walk around a school with a metal bat.
They say social media challenges have shown these cups being used in unsafe ways, although they don’t cite any examples.
“In some cases, our young people have attempted to use them to transport items they shouldn’t or have used them to cause injury to another person,” the district added.
The oversized cups also slow down the bag check process when students arrive in the morning, the district said.
Plastic water bottles and lightweight, school-safe cups are still allowed.
“Thank you for your partnership in helping us maintain a safe school environment,” the district concluded.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Middletown schools banning stainless steel travel cups this school year
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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