New law limits weight of school supplies in Ponta Grossa schools
Rule applies to public and private institutions and determines that excess materials remain at the school, without charges to families
The weight of school supplies in Ponta Grossa has limits defined by law for students of Educação Infantil and elementary school. Law No. 16.113/2026, sanctioned by prefeita Elizabeth Schmidt, was published on Monday (19) in the Official Gazette of the Municipality and comes into force on the date of publication.
The legislation stipulates that the material transported daily by students up to 10 years of age may not exceed 5% of the body weight. For students over 10 years old, the limit will be 10%. The rules cover public and private education networks.
In practice, a child up to 10 years of age weighing 30 kilos can carry a maximum of 1.5 kilos of school supplies. A student over 10 years of age with a body weight of 40 kilos will have a limit of 4 kilos.
Excess material should stay in school
The law determines that materials that exceed the limits remain in the teaching unit. For this purpose, cabinets, shelves, individual or collective compartments and other appropriate spaces can be used. Schools may not charge students or their guardians for the use of these places of care.
When collective compartments are adopted, the institution must designate a server or manager to open the space at the beginning of the activities and close it at the end of the school period.
Schools should organize the materials of each day
The management and pedagogical teams will also have the responsibility of organizing the planning of the activities to reduce the volume of materials transported daily by the students.
The guidance provided in the legislation is to define, whenever possible, only the indispensable items for each school day. In this way, the school planning should consider what will be effectively used in the classes.
Another obligation will be to promote guidance actions for students, family members and education professionals on the risks of excessive weight transport and prevention measures. This information may be disclosed through communications, meetings, posters and other appropriate means.
The law provides for regulation by the Executive
The legislation originates from Bill No. 297/2026, authored by Councilman Erick, approved by Câmara Municipal in the session of September 28.
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The text provides for regulation by the Executive Power in the aspects necessary for its application, especially in the procedures of guidance, supervision and follow-up in the municipal education network. The law does not set fines or detail a specific channel for complaints.
