Officials of Duncanville Independent School District have decided to adopt a clear backpack policy this school term, making it the third North Texas district to do so.
Following in the footsteps of Mesquite ISD and Dallas ISD, Duncanville ISD will first recommend students in grades K-12 use clear or mesh backpacks this fall. By spring, they will be required to do so.
By implementing the new policy in stages, the district explained that parents and students would have more time to prepare, according to CBS News Texas.
Much like the rules seen at Mesquite ISD and Dallas ISD, students will be allowed to carry a small opaque pouch in their backpacks for personal items, including money, mobile phones, and hygiene products. Yet non-clear bags taken onto school premises, such as purses or athletic bags, will have to be searched.
Overall, there have been mixed reactions to the clear bag initiative.
Those in favor see it as part of a broader attempt to boost safety on school campuses.
“It’ll take us in the right direction to make schools a little bit safer,” said Josh Underhill, parent of a child in Dallas ISD, according to CBS News Texas.
Others have voiced concerns that the policy only targets students.
“Requiring clear backpacks does make some families and students feel that they’re being blamed for the state’s inaction on guns,” explained Sheila Walker, president of the National Education Association-Dallas, according to the Dallas Observer.
For Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross, parent of a child at Mesquite ISD, the new policy might breed false confidence in school safety, whereas those wishing to bring guns into school “are just gonna figure out other ways” to do so, she suggested, according to CBS News Texas.
Mesquite ISD has stated that the clear bags, though not foolproof, can deter potential rule breakers.
In fact, the clear backpack policy thwarted one student’s endeavor to bring a handgun to school on the first day of this term, as reported in The Dallas Express.
A 17-year-old student allegedly tried to enter Mesquite ISD’s Horn High School on August 7 with a concealed weapon but was not allowed to bring his non-compliant bag onto the premises. School resource officers were alerted when the student began to act suspiciously, and the gun was allegedly discovered after a search.
Nonetheless, other North Texas districts have considered more high-tech ways to boost school safety.
As recently reported in The Dallas Express, Frisco ISD is expanding a pilot of its tech-driven student ID system next year that will enhance safety protocols in a variety of ways.
For instance, students will be tracked during their commute to school, making it so their whereabouts are traceable in the event of an emergency.