Dallas ISD Mandates Clear Backpacks

Per multiple reports, Dallas Independent School District mandates clear backpacks for students in sixth grade up for the 2022-2023 school year.

“Clear bookbags are a well intended but relatively ineffective measure,” said Michael Dorn. Dorn is a former police officer and Executive Director of Safe Haven International.

The group is the world’s largest K-12 school safety center. The group produced the video below showing the ease of moving weapons into a school.

Parents at several Townview campuses told us that metal detectors are not used. The devices are time limiting and staff does not focus on them.

“They are a physical deterence, but only when they are actually used,” one parent said.

DISD Mandates Clear Backpacks – Unclear Reasoning

Dallas ISD has not released the results of its parent survey on clear backpacks. They did say they will issue a single backpack to students.

If it becomes damaged or otherwise unusable the student will supply a replacement. It is unclear how many students this will effect given district socioeconomic challenges.

It is not clear how this poplicy will stop incidents like last year’s.

In December 2021, parents were notified of an elementary student with a firearm on a bus. At the time, parents said the note normalized the situation.

There were also multiple protests at Dealey Montessori with at least two events where adults were armed on campus.