Dallas ISD announced that the district’s clear backpack policy will be continued through the 2024-2025 school year.
The clear backpack policy extends to students who are in pre-K through high school, according to Dallas ISD.
“As an additional option, mesh backpacks will be acceptable; however, clear ones are preferred. Students may carry a small, nonclear pouch in their backpack to hold personal items, such as cell phones, money, and hygiene products. Each student will be provided one durable clear backpack for the year to support families at no cost. Parents may also purchase their students’ clear or mesh backpacks that meet the District’s policy,” a district press release stated.
Dallas ISD acknowledged that its backpack policy does not guarantee complete security.
“A clear backpack policy alone does not ensure complete security. This proactive measure is just one of several updates to enhance student and campus safety. As a reminder, Dallas ISD’s Comprehensive Safety Plan is available at dallasisd.org/safety. We encourage everyone to visit the district’s website and social media channels for the latest updates,” the press release reads.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas ISD announced in 2022 that it would require clear or mesh backpacks for students in 6th through 12th grade beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. The policy was extended to all grades the following school year.
Dallas ISD and other school districts across the state worked to implement stronger security measures in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde in May 2022. However, Dallas ISD’s backpack policy, announced just weeks later, was met with criticism by some.
“A clear backpack is something that you can hold it up and say, ‘Look, we’re trying,'” David Riedman of the K-12 School Shooting Database told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s just not a very effective measure for actually stopping anything.”
Riedman was not alone.
“Clear bookbags are a well-intended but relatively ineffective measure,” Michael Dorn, a former police officer and the current executive director for Safe Haven International, previously told 11 Alive News.
The Dallas Express reached out to Dallas ISD for comment on the policy but did not receive a response by press time.