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An increased presence and K-9 units will also be present at Southside ISD's upcoming graduation event at the Alamodome.
San Antonio’s Southside Independent School District has banned backpacks and purses at the class of 2022’s graduation ceremony at the Alamodome this Thursday, according to
information shared on its website.
The district also recently announced that no purses or backpacks would be allowed on campus for the remainder of the school year following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that left 21 people dead.
Bags that adhere to the
Alamodome’s Clear Bag Policy will be allowed into the downtown arena, according to Southside ISD's announcement. That includes small bags and clutches smaller than 5 inches tall and 8 inches long, transparent plastic bags and medically necessary sacks.
Other than stricter bag policies, officers from the San Antonio Police Department and Southside ISD’s police force will be present. K9 units will be sweeping the area for explosives,
news site MySA reports.
The expansion in security protocols also comes after an
elderly woman was fatally shot during a graduation ceremony in New Orleans and a slew of shootings at post-grad celebrations, including
incidents in Alabama,
Kansas and
Tennessee.
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