Persuasive Essay
Recently, a student in your school was suspended for carrying a knife in his backpack.
The knife was discovered when he left the back pocket open during class and a teacher saw it
sticking out of the bag. As a result of the event, your school’s administration is considering doing
spot checks of backpacks and lockers periodically. They believe that these spot checks will
ensure school safety.
Write a letter to your principal explaining why you do or do not support the practice of
randomly spot-checking backpacks and lockers. Give clear reasons for your support or criticism
of this possible school policy. Make sure to develop each of your reasons fully and completely.
You have 45 minutes to complete this essay.
Dear Principal,
Would you please open up your purse and show me everything that’s
inside it? I’d like to see if there’s anything in there that might make me suspect that you
are a criminal. How did it make you feel to be asked that question? (This hook is a
successful compositional risk. It grabs the reader’s attention and draws the reader into
the argument). You can definitely imagine how it makes me feel knowing that I could
come to school every day and have my personal things rifled through by someone I really
don’t know. This would be the case if the new school policy allowing random spotchecks of backpacks and lockers is instituted in our school. The North Bergen School
District should not allow random spot-checks of backpacks and lockers. (Thesis
statement) This proposed policy would be an invasion of privacy. In addition, the policy
will also cause profiling in the school. Lastly, the policy does not give the student the
benefit of the doubt.
This policy is an invasion of privacy. At home, my parents trust me to finish my
homework, remember my lunch, and do a lot of other things that don’t require their
constant supervision. I follow their rules because I respect them as my parents. In the
same way, (transition word) I follow your rules because I respect you as my principal. If
you do a good job, then you shouldn’t have to worry about me breaking the rules.
Another reason why I strongly disagree wit this policy is that it will cause
profiling. Even in the subways of New York City, people say that they feel profiling
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exists during bag checks. If the police do it, then so can you. Let’s suppose that I have a
friend who has a decal for the band The Killers on his backpack. Will you assume when
you see that decal that my friend is a violent person? Will the kids with tie-dyed
backpacks be considered hippies? Will you suspect that they do drugs? (Offering
hypothetical situations is an effective persuasive strategy to convince the reader) Just
because a student might look a certain way or dress a certain way doesn’t mean that the
student behaves like that stereotype.
Thirdly, this policy does not give the students the benefit of the doubt. If we are
supposed to feel safe in schools, doesn’t safety start with trust? If I carry a water gun in
my backpack, it may be for a skit I’m doing for drama class. If I have a picture of
marijuana in my locker, it might be for a project I’m doing for science class. That can of
spray paint you see in the side pocket of my backpack is going to get used after school
when we make signs for the car wash. Could I really get suspended for being a good
student and a model school citizen? (The writer uses rhetorical questions throughout the
essay to reveal his stance) It’s possible if these spot checks are permitted.
Allowing random spot-checking of backpacks and lockers in the North Bergen
School District would be a very bad policy. Random spot-checking of backpacks and
lockers will be an invasion of our students’ privacy, cause profiling, and take away the
trust that exists in our school system. As a final reflection, I will offer you this thought.
Teachers are always telling us not to “judge a book by its cover.” If you allow this policy
to be in effect, this will be the very practice that you promote. Thank you for taking the
time to read my letter, and I hope that you will definitely consider my point of view.
(Your closure need not be long, but make sure that it is evident. Only essays with both
opening and closure will score a 6 on the rubric.)
Sincerely,
John Q. Student
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