ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — ECISD announced Monday all secondary school students will soon be required to use clear or mesh backpacks.
The new rule will be implemented in August at the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
The safety measure has been reviewed and approved by the district's Safety and Security Committee.
Purses, clutches and other similar bags will also be limited to 5x8x1 or smaller to be allowed in schools. No other kinds of bags will be allowed on campus.
Students who carry things like duffle bags for the purposes of fine art or athletic programs will need to leave the bags in their locker rooms or rehearsal halls.
All middle and high school campuses are equipped with lockers available to students. If your child does not have a locker assigned you can request one through the student's principal.
ECISD says local retailers are being notified about the new requirements so availability of these bags will be increased.
The district also says a similar announcement for the athletics facilities at the Ratliff Stadium Complex will be coming soon.
"ECISD considers the safety of our students, staff and visitors to be the highest priority, and will continue to evaluate options to enhance security at all schools," said Michael Adkins, Communications Officer for ECISD.
The change comes after multiple threats to district schools including multiple arrests of students either bringing or threatening to bring a firearm to campus. ECISD has been working to make safety changes to campuses all throughout the past few school years.
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