Are there any Calif Laws regarding the weight a child may bear in their school backpack?

Question

My 12 yr old daughter must carry all her books to and from school for her 7th grade classes, as they do not have lockers. Her pack is well in excess of 30 lbs. I know it is so, because I have carried 20-25 lb bags of fertilizer, in my work in a garden center daily for many years. It is quite possibly even 40 lbs. Is that legal?

Answer 1

Didn't know they actually passed a law on this. The first article only mentions a bill. I'm not sure who'd police the law even if it does exist. Would they arrest the child? The teachers? Shut down the school? Burn the books?

The second article is earlier and says it was signed. The links didn't pull the actual law text.

Some common sense is needed and rolling bags is a good idea.

"The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation says a person should not carry more than 15 per cent of his/her weight."

I've heard the 15% rule elsewhere and it makes sense to me.

Answer 2

Gosh, does California need a law for EVERYTHING???

Stop waiting for the State to solve your problems and solve them for yourself. You are the child's parent. It should be up to YOU to provide a better alternative for your kid. Here's one: a rolling backpack. Yes, they make them in very nice colors and designs. The handle extends for easy pulling.

Target has a great selection of rolling backpacks. Check them out: http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=in_br_display-ladders/602-8006224-7841437?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=43672011

ADDENDUM FOR THE CANADIAN BELOW: Actually, California does NOT have a law capping the amount of weight a person should be allowed to carry. Of course, in more socialist climes like Canada, it isn't too much of a stretch to imagine there would be such a law. Let common sense prevail and let people be able to make a decision on their own without some sort of governmental prodding. So in short, NO, there's not a law in California protecting children's vertebrae. Lord knows our public school system is so crappy as is that the least of our worries should be a bunch of hunchbacks in training. Let's hope 13 years of mediocre instruction at least enables them to read simple instructions.