Will your child need a clear backpack this fall? CCSD addresses safety concerns

The nation’s fifth-largest district, which has more than 300,000 students, released a statement Monday about the move after Escobedo Middle School in northwest Las Vegas had said it would require clear backpacks.

“After consideration and consultation with principals, we have determined that requiring clear backpacks is not feasible and does not definitively address safety concerns,” the district said in its statement.

In response to a Las Vegas Review-Journal question about whether individual schools can set their own policies about clear backpacks and if so, how many campuses are requiring them, the district responded saying: “The school will communicate its expectations with families.”

The district didn’t respond to a request for further clarification. Escobedo officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.

During a school safety press conference in May, Superintendent Jesus Jara said the district was investigating options for security measures — including clear backpacks, which some districts nationwide require — for the upcoming school year.

But during a June meeting with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s editorial board, Jara said the district was no longer considering a clear backpack requirement.

An announcement on Escobedo’s website, which remained posted Wednesday, says the clear backpack requirement is “an effort to improve the safety measures currently in place.”

In February, a student brought a gun to Escobedo. Staff recovered the firearm and turned it over to school police.

During the May school safety press conference, Jara said 30 firearms were confiscated at district schools throughout the school year, compared with 33 the prior year.

Escobedo’s announcement about clear backpacks notes there aren’t size requirements for backpacks, but mesh and colored transparent backpacks won’t be allowed.

The school also set a maximum size — 6 inches x 9 inches x 5 inches — for up to two non-transparent bags, such as purses, lunch boxes and pencil bags that students can bring to school.

The announcement says students can also bring non-transparent bags needed for extracurricular activities such as band and athletics, and those must be stored in “designated areas.”

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.