No longer able to carry backpacks, students at Southwest ISD will now have to carry books and school materials in clear bags, such as one-gallon freezer bags. Credit: Unsplash / Omar Roque

A San Antonio school district has banned students from bringing backpacks and other bags to school in light of concerns about campus shootings.

Starting Monday, May 8, all San Antonio’s Southwest ISD students will be barred from bringing bags, including backpacks, to any of the district’s 18 campuses for the remainder of the school year, according to a letter sent to parents this week.

The ban goes as far as to include students involved in extracurricular activities, including sports. Those students will now be required to put their bags away, being allowed to access them only during designated times.

“We understand this may inconvenience some students, but this new policy is necessary to reduce the risk of dangerous items being brought onto campus,” the letter to parents said.

Despite the backpack ban, students will be permitted to carry their books and school material in clear bags, including one-gallon clear freezer bags, according to district officials.

The draconian measure comes a little over a month after the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office launched a “school task force” at Southwest High School, which included having additional deputies on campus.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told parents during a public safety town hall in March that the task force was necessary after several shootings in the area — some of which involved Southwest ISD students — broke out over disputes about THC vape cartridges.

Southwest ISD’s Facebook post about the backpack ban also came fewer than 20 hours before schools across San Antonio received violent threats online, according to KSAT. SAPD has since said that those threats weren’t credible.

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This article appears in May 3-16, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...