CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — School districts across the Coastal Bend are now implementing clear backpacks for students.
Corpus Christi Independent School District is now one of them. The district announced that new regulation for the next school year.
This comes after other districts like Ingleside Independent School District implemented their policy a year ago.
In December, 858 parents in Ingleside filled out a survey regarding how they felt about the clear backpack policy. Although some parents opposed it for privacy concerns, Ingleside ISD Superintendent Troy Mircovich said the majority was in favor of the backpacks.
"At the very beginning of the year, we were also catching a lot of kids who were trying to get vapes and stuff into the school. And we were able to eliminate that problem," he said.
Mircovich said that clear backpacks have cut down on the number of reports of students brining prohibited items on campus.
"Definitely found that that was a great thing that kind of limited that number," he said.
However, the district is finding themselves with a different kind of problem.
"The duration and the lasting part of that backpack. Can it make it through the test of time?" he said.
The answer is not very long. Mircovich said they've had to replace a lot of backpacks throughout the year.
"We've been fortunate that we've had donations from our industries that are close by to us. And we've been able to replace those backpacks as we've had them for our students," he said.
Mircovich added that he likes that larger school districts are following suit and implementing the safety measure.
"I really like what CCISD is doing about ordering a large number, so they always have them for their students," he said.
CCISD Director of Admissions, Attendance and Student Support Services Delma Bernal said the safety measure is something the district has already practiced before.
"About 3 years ago, we went to clear bags at all stadiums. So this was just the next step in that process," she said.
Bernal said adding another layer to keep students safe throughout the school year will only maximize the safety of students.
Ingleside ISD will have another survey at the end of the year to hear feedback from parents.
As for CCISD, families will be able to purchase backpacks through the district's web store, they will run anywhere from $13 to $15.
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