Clear Backpacks to Be Required For Students at LGISD This Fall

McHazlett Also Talks About Other Safety Considerations in the District

La Grange I.S.D. announced this week that only transparent backpacks would be allowed when students begin school next month. The rule applies to all campuses.

Superintendent Andy McHazlett said the district decided to implement the rule in response to school safety concerns following the Uvalde shooting. McHazlett said he consulted with the school board, Police Chief David Gilbreath and School Operations Director Sharon Muzny before making the decision.

“At the end of the day we couldn’t come up with a reason why not to do it,” McHazlett said. “It won’t solve all the problems, it won’t guarantee safety, but it will help out.”

He said the rule does not apply to athletic bags, band instrument cases, lunch boxes or small containers stored inside backpacks.

“At this time, the rule applies to backpacks only,” he said. “Some people might disagree with it, but the whole intent is to help our kids and school district be safer. If it helps us out, then it’s worth it. We’re trying to bring some peace of mind to parents and staff.”

He said transparent backpacks that are tinted with a color would be acceptable, as well backpacks made of a mesh material.

“As long as you can see through them, they’re OK,” he said.

The massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde spurred education leaders across the nation to re-evaluate school safety measures, and La Grange is no different. Many local parents have been asking about metal detectors at the school.

“That’s a hot topic around the whole country,” McHazlett said. “That’s something we’ll visit with the school board about. A lot of school districts use metal detectors, but there are a whole lot more that do not. With the Uvalde incident just occurring, its something that’s on the board’s mind and we’ll evaluate it.”

McHazlett said many schools in Texas are also considering a school guardian or school marshall program. Those programs, which are authorized by state law, allow schools to train and arm staff members for the protection of students.

“We’re having informal discussions about those programs,” McHazlett said. “A lot of school districts are evaluating what direction to go in. A lot of it depends on response time. For rural districts without a police department close, I thinks it’s very important to have something like that. Districts that have SROs (school resource officers) or a police department within two or three minutes, they are usually not leaning that way.

“My own theory is every community is different,” he added. “They see things differently. There’s not one cookie cutter answer for everyone. You have to see what your community needs.”