Terrebonne school board adopts mandatory uniform and clear-bag policy, adds security coordinator position

The Terrebonne Parish School Board on April 15 approved a revised mandatory school uniform policy that adds a clear-book-bag requirement and authorized the addition and recruitment for a full‑time security coordinator.

The measure to adopt revised Policy File H‑3.4 (mandatory school uniforms), which includes the new clear-bag/book-bag provision, passed 7‑2 after extended debate. The two no votes were Board Member Dane Vazan and Board Member Debbie Benoit. The board also approved a separate recommendation to post and recruit a district security coordinator for the 2025–26 school year.

Board Member Matthew Ford, speaking during the meeting, framed the clear-bag rule as part of a layered safety approach, saying safety measures “give peace of mind to the general population of a schoolhouse.” Several board members and committee representatives said the changes came from a multistakeholder safety review committee that included administrators, teachers and parents.

Opponents raised several concerns during the Education, Technology and Policy Committee discussion and at the board meeting. Board Member Debbie Benoit said she wanted more research and evidence from other districts about effectiveness before placing the requirement into policy. Concerns raised by other speakers included cost and durability of clear bags, possible increased targeting of visible valuables, impacts on student privacy, and whether a district‑wide policy was preferable to a pilot limited to high schools.

Committee representative Mark Torbit (committee/administrative staff) told the board the idea was to speed and simplify safety screening — particularly where metal detectors are used — by allowing staff to visually scan bags more quickly. The committee reported clear bags are more about operational convenience during screening and that bag costs vary by brand; the committee cited an approximate average of about $20 per bag depending on brand but acknowledged some clear bags may not last the full school year.

The board discussed mitigation steps for families with financial need. Several board members said the district will provide replacement bags to students who cannot afford them and will provide assistance when bags fail.

On the personnel recommendation, the board approved posting a job description and opening recruitment for a district security coordinator to coordinate safety work systemwide, a move backers said will free principals to focus on instruction. The motion to add the position passed without substantive public objection during the committee report.

The vote to adopt the uniform/book-bag policy followed a motion to end debate (a call of the question) and a roll-call tally that produced seven yeas and two nays. The board discussion showed a split between members emphasizing urgency for new safety layers and members urging more study and pilot testing.

The policy change and the new position will be implemented through the district’s normal administrative processes; the board did not set a phased pilot or sunset date in the motion recorded at the meeting.

Items recorded in the meeting minutes show the board’s Education, Technology and Policy Committee met immediately prior to the full board discussion and recommended both revisions to Policy File H‑3.4 and creation of the security coordinator role.