Southside Independent School District announced it will be giving out free backpacks after implementing its clear or mesh bag policy out of safety precautions. 

Southside Independent School District plans on giving out free backpacks after implementing its clear or mesh bag policy for safety reasons. The new restriction comes after the devastating Uvalde mass shooting that killed 21 people.

The district announced it would provide free backpacks to all students for the upcoming school year in a news release on Thursday, June 23. Southside ISD stated it will distribute the backpacks during its Meet the Teacher Night and the first week of school. Dates are to come too, according to its Facebook page. 

After the Uvalde mass shooting, Southside ISD didn't allow backpacks on campus for the remainder of the school year. The district also did not allow purses or backpacks inside the Alamodome for its high school graduation on June 2. 

Per its Facebook page, the district is working on updating its student handbook to include any changes or questions parents, students, and faculty may have. It will be released soon, the district noted in the comment section of its free bag announcement. 

If anyone has any questions regarding the new policy, Southside ISD stated not to hesitate contacting the district at 210-882-1600.

Southside ISD isn't the only district taking precautions following the Uvalde shooting. Harper ISD, about 90 miles north of San Antonio – around an hour and a half drive – implemented a clear backpack/bag policy for students in the 2022-23 school year, according to a social media post.

"When parents started contacting us after the Uvalde shooting, wanting to know what Harper's going to do? Well, most of the things that need to be done, we've already done," said Harper ISD Superintendent Bonnie Stewart. "We've really been proactive in the last few years."

Stewart said Harper ISD has its own school police department, a guardian team, installed security fencing around the majority of the campus, and bulletproof glass installed at all offices.

"One of the suggestions was clear bags. So, we researched and decided that would be a good thing that we could do to show that we're doing something else," Stewart said. "You know, if they want to get a gun and they're going to get a gun, but that's just one more level of security and safety.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre.