Center School District will require clear backpacks, metal detectors at high schools

High school students in Kansas City’s Center School District will be required to use clear backpacks when they come back to school Aug. 24, the district said in a letter to students, parents and staff Tuesday.

Metal detectors will also be added to entrances at the district’s secondary schools: Center High School, Center Academy for Success and Center Middle School.

“We realize that change can be difficult, however, we believe the changes outlined above will help to ensure that we have a safe and secure learning environment,” Central High School principal Mark Wiegers said in the letter.

Wiegers said the schools will provide free clear backpacks for students, or they can purchase one themselves.

Superintendent Yolanda Cargile cited recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Highland Park, Illinois, as part of the reason the district decided to increase safety measures.

“We are all too aware of the impact of violence in our communities,” she said.

In addition to metal detectors at entrances for daily use, anyone attending a Center School District football or basketball game will also have to pass through a metal detector, Cargile said.

The district is also updating its cellphone policy for high school students. Students will be required to place their phone in a locked box at the beginning of each class period, Wiegers said. Teachers will return their phones to them at the end of class when they can use them in the hallways.

“Cell phone use in the classroom creates an opportunity for scholars to be disengaged in the learning process; and our goal is for all of our scholars to have the ability to achieve at high levels,” Wiegers said.

The district surveyed students, staff and parents after several incidents last semester and over 70% of each group said they support adding metal detectors to entrances, Cargile said.

“The Center School District is a family,” Cargile said. “Family members do whatever they can to keep everyone in their family safe and happy.”