Joining in the parade of "staff can be stupid and insensitive" anecdotes, DD was 7, and a few weeks into the school year, started complaining of chronic back soreness. After it had gone on for enough days to be taken seriously, I started casting about for answers, and weighed her backpack, which turned out to be much too heavy, at nearly 20% of her body weight. Most of the excess weight was coming from liquids, as the drinking water at the school was substandard, and she wouldn't drink it. There were books she brought from home, as well as her lunch and normal homework items. She had to lug this thing to and from the car line, her home room, and a G/T pull-out all day.
We instructed DD to swap out her items to another wheeled backpack she had for traveling. And when she used it at school, she got yelled at to pick it up and carry it, because the wheels squeaked.
