Some households in San Antonio might have so as to add new backpacks to their buying lists as they gear up for a brand new faculty 12 months.
Harlandale Unbiased Faculty District not too long ago adopted a brand new coverage, requiring that every one college students use clear or mesh backpacks for the 2026-27 faculty 12 months, which begins Aug. 12. It’s the primary 12 months the district of roughly 11,500 college students has achieved so.
Whereas some mother and father really feel like the brand new coverage is inconvenient, they are saying it makes them really feel safer when sending their children to highschool.
“It’s already laborious to purchase all the college provides and stuff,” stated Kayla Medina, who was on her method again to her automobile after selecting up free faculty provides and mesh backpacks from Harlandale’s “Again to Faculty Bash” on Thursday.
However with three youngsters enrolled at Harlandale ISD, Medina stated it’s additionally good to know what’s in college students’ backpacks.
“There’s simply been much more conditions the place children are bringing issues to highschool that they shouldn’t,” she stated. “Now you’ve gotten the provision to really simply see what’s in there, and never even for questions of safety, however only for issues that they shouldn’t be taking to highschool, like toys and whatnot.”
District spokesperson Melinda Garza stated the coverage change requiring clear/mesh baggage, first communicated to oldsters in June, wasn’t prompted by any particular incident or improve in threats.
“The clear/mesh backpack coverage is one proactive measure that permits for faster visible inspections whereas minimizing disruption to the college day,” she stated.
Blanca Diaz is a mother or father of 4 college students enrolled at Harlandale ISD, three of them ladies. Whereas Diaz doesn’t thoughts the clear bag coverage, she is anxious concerning the privateness of ladies and youngsters going via puberty and menstruation.
“I all the time inform my children, put it in a make-up bag. Like, they’ll’t let you know nothing there,” she stated, in reference to menstrual hygiene merchandise.
In response to Harlandale ISD’s backpack coverage, college students are allowed to hold small clutches 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches that don’t must be clear.
Who else has clear backpack insurance policies?
Clear/mesh bag insurance policies grew common throughout Texas after the 2022 Robb Elementary Faculty taking pictures, the place 19 college students and two academics have been shot and killed, however few districts in San Antonio adopted districtwide insurance policies after the tragedy.
Southside ISD adopted a transparent/mesh bag coverage in 2022, which continues to be in place. South San Antonio ISD adopted an identical rule for the 2025-26 faculty 12 months, in line with the newest accessible scholar handbook.
North East ISD used to require clear or mesh backpacks for all center and highschool college students, a coverage the district revoked in 2021 after households complained concerning the baggage’ sturdiness.
Different districts let particular person colleges implement their very own insurance policies. At San Antonio ISD, for instance, Jefferson Excessive Faculty and Lanier Excessive Faculty require clear or mesh backpacks for the college day.
Some districts solely implement insurance policies towards the top of the college 12 months, banning baggage utterly for the previous few days or even weeks of courses, however these insurance policies might quickly be used much less.
Southwest ISD used to ban baggage for college kids on the finish of the college 12 months, citing a typical improve in “pretend social media threats” as the college 12 months winds down.
However SWISD didn’t implement this coverage for the top of the 2025-26 faculty 12 months due to the state’s new ban on cellphones within the classroom, in line with district spokesperson Jennifer Collier.
Most districts even have clear bag insurance policies for athletic and extracurricular occasions in stadiums.
Do clear backpack insurance policies work?
Whereas clear bag insurance policies would possibly make communities really feel safer, the analysis on how efficient they’re at really stopping violence is combined, stated Jeff Temple a violence prevention researcher, professor and psychologist at UTHealth Houston.
Within the wake of the 2018 Sante Fe Excessive Faculty taking pictures in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Temple to take a seat on a faculty security committee. He’s additionally a part of a Nationwide Academy of Sciences committee that seemed into the effectiveness of college taking pictures preparation.
“We actually have little analysis that clear backpack insurance policies cut back violence or forestall shootings,” Temple instructed the San Antonio Report. The identical is true for different seen safety measures, like metallic detectors.
“It does are inclined to make individuals really feel safer, which will be good,” Temple stated. “However it may lull individuals into a way of security after which not be as alarmed as possibly they need to be.”
Acts of college violence are by no means defined by a single issue, Temple stated, however a few of the clearest warning indicators embrace prior threats made by potential perpetrators, individuals who socially isolate themselves, accessing firearms, and being prior victims of violence or having a grievance with a faculty or group.
In response to Temple’s analysis, the easiest way to stop faculty violence is constructing wholesome faculty climates as a substitute of solely counting on bodily safety measures or psychological well being providers.
“Accessing behavioral well being providers is definitely necessary,” Temple stated. “But additionally (necessary) is enhancing the reporting system so college students really feel comfy talking up and having trusted adults that folks can go to, and having some faculty connectedness.”
All faculty districts in San Antonio have nameless tiplines the place college students, employees and group members can rapidly alert native police departments and district directors of security considerations they’ve.
