House will hold hearings on transparent backpack.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Puerto Rico House of Representatives is scheduled to hold public hearings Thursday on legislation that would require all public school students to use clear, transparent backpacks as a measure to deter violence.

House Bill 1144 would create the “Transparent Backpacks for Safe Schools Act,” which lawmakers say is intended to enhance safety across public school campuses.

One of the bill’s sponsors, New Progressive Party representative Ensol Rodríguez, acknowledged concerns that the requirement could infringe on students’ privacy. He confirmed that the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau have been invited to testify at the hearing, set for 10 a.m., to provide recommendations and address constitutional questions.

In a radio interview, Rodríguez said the agencies were first asked to evaluate “the constitutionality of the project” and, second, to clarify “whether minors, while on state property—where the state holds responsibility and custody during school hours—have any expectation of privacy. If they do, how far does that privacy extend, and what does the law allow?”

Rodríguez, who represents District 23 (Yauco, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, and Adjuntas) and is also a police officer, said he has seen and received reports from students, parents, and school security staff regarding drug trafficking on school grounds and the presence of firearms. He called the proposal “the last option,” noting that the government had previously rejected installing metal detectors and parents opposed backpack searches.

“What do we do with these minors? How do we try to prevent this from happening in our schools?” he asked, adding that the government does not intend to finance the clear backpacks through a private supplier.

The bill is also sponsored by Representatives Félix Pacheco, chair of the House Public Safety Committee, and Ramón Torres. Torres stressed that the primary purpose is to stimulate discussion and acknowledged that the legislation will likely evolve.

“At the end of the day, what we want is a bill that improves school safety and eliminates security problems,” Torres said in the same interview. “No bill is written in stone, and what is filed often ends up very different from what is approved. That’s what we’re looking for—to spark that discussion,” he added, reiterating that the sponsors are open to amending the measure.