Do clear backpacks make schools safer? Austin area districts split on backpack policies.

As school districts across Texas enhance security measures after the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, clear backpack requirements have become increasingly popular. However, some districts in the Austin area have opted not to pursue the policy, which experts say is largely driven by emotion rather than evidence.

Austin school district interim Superintendent Anthony Mays said at a safety summit this month that district leaders decided to not require clear backpacks because parents didn’t think they were necessary. He said district officials would be open to such a requirement in the future, however.

“Members of the community are usually strong advocates for their needs and (it) is currently not something parents, community leaders are claiming, but we are open to having that conversation if that is something that the community and parents feel like we need to put in place,” he said.

The district’s new police chief, Wayne Sneed, also said that he’s “listening to community, parents and local advocates” about clear backpacks and other safety topics. Earlier this month, Sneed laid out some of the district’s other safety protocols, some of which were put in place this summer. They include new fire alarm systems, cameras and staff training, along with an additional $46 million for secure entry vestibules, fencing and locks if a bond proposal passes in November.

More:More: As school year starts, see how Central Texas districts are beefing up security after Uvalde

Jaclyn Schildkraut, the interim executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, said there’s no evidence that shows clear backpacks would prevent mass shootings in schools.

“In terms of the bigger, overarching idea that having clear backpacks is somehow going to prevent the next Uvalde, there's absolutely nothing that suggests that would be the case,” she said.

However, numerous schools — including the Dallas school district, the second-largest in Texas — have rushed to require clear bags before the start of the school year. In Dallas, all students in grades 6 to 12 must use clear or mesh backpacks, which the district said on its website will allow campus staff to “ensure that prohibited items are not included among the students’ belongings” and speed up security checks at the beginning of the day.

Students will be allowed to carry a nonclear pouch within the bag that holds items such as cellphones, money and hygiene products. The policy was put in place based on recommendations from a safety task force and community feedback.

“We acknowledge that clear or mesh backpacks alone will not eliminate safety concerns,” reads an explanation on the Dallas school district website. “This is merely one of several steps in the district’s comprehensive plan to better ensure student and staff safety.”

Central Texas districts

Smaller districts in Central Texas have moved to require clear backpacks, saying the mandate is designed to improve safety. At the Manor district, only clear — and not mesh — backpacks are required for high school and middle school students. They are, however, permitted to carry nontransparent bags for extracurricular activities along with lunch boxes, pencil cases and purses that meet size specifications.

The Del Valle school district also is requiring clear backpacks for all middle and high school students. Del Valle High School put in place a clear backpack policy last year after a student reportedly brought a BB gun to school.

Other local districts, including Round Rock, Hutto, Lake Travis, Bastrop and Hays, decided not to adopt a clear backpack rule this year.

“We have not implemented a clear backpack policy,” said Kristi Lee, a Bastrop school district spokesperson. “However, we may consider this in the future should we determine that it's in the best interest of our students and the district.”

'Security theater'

Nicole Hill, acting communications director for the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said she thinks districts should make the decision of whether or not to implement clear backpack rules based on feedback from residents and teachers.

“If that's something that they think makes them feel safe and they're on board with it, I don't see an issue with a district putting that in,” she said.

However, Hill said even though schools often have good intentions, clear backpack policies often become “security theater.” She said stricter gun control laws are more popular among Texas educators, citing a poll the teachers union conducted in June which found that 99% of Texas school employees support comprehensive background checks before all firearm purchases.

Most districts in Central Texas, even those without clear backpack rules, have a clear bag requirement for spectators at large events and football games. In Austin, for example, visitors at Burger Center, Delco Center, House Park, Nelson Field and the Noack Sports Complex must use bags that are clear and don’t exceed 12 inches, or are a clear one-gallon, resealable plastic freezer storage bag.

Schildkraut, who has researched mass shootings for about 15 years, said schools are feeling pressure from concerned parents and community members to keep students safe after the Uvalde massacre. This pressure, she said, has led districts to implement “solutions” that are easily visible, like metal detectors or clear backpacks, even though they haven’t been proven to be effective.

“I think that the problem is that because everybody is leading with emotion rather than looking at the evidence, they're also not considering the collateral effects of these types of policies,” she said. “What message are you sending to students about the safety of their school and your trust and belief in them as being safe students, if you're requiring them to carry clear backpacks? It’s telling them, ‘You don't trust them, and their school is not safe.’”

Schildkraut said she saw this phenomenon first-hand, because she grew up in Parkland, Fla. — where 17 students died in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. The school implemented a clear backpack policy after the shooting, which many students publicly denounced. Some decorated their bags with SpongeBob memes and prisoner ID badges, calling for gun control instead.

Schildkraut added that a clear backpack rule would not have prevented the Uvalde shooting in which a gunman carrying an assault-style rifle entered Robb Elementary through an unlocked back door before opening fire on two fourth grade classrooms, killing 19 students and two teachers. She said, even with clear backpacks, it’s still easy to conceal items.

The Uvalde shooter "did not bring his gun in a backpack,” she said. “He brought ammunition and other supplies in a backpack, but his semi-automatic rifle would have never fit in a backpack.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Experts question whether clear backpacks actually make schools safer