HI HCR44

Urges school administrators, teachers, parents, and students to be educated about health impacts of heavy backpacks and take proactive measures to avoid injury.

Recommends schools work with parent-teacher associations to assess overweight backpack usage and promote innovative homework strategies to reduce the need to carry materials daily.

Encourages backpack weight limits of no more than 10 percent of a child's body weight and proper wearing techniques using both shoulder straps with wide, padded adjustable straps.

Recommends schools consider e-textbooks, handouts, or workbooks for homework to reduce load, and use integrated classroom education including weighing backpacks and tracking data on weight loads.

Requires certified copies be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, Board of Education Chairperson, Director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and Executive Director of the Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission.