Ennis ISD is asking kindergarteners to leave their Bob the Builder backpacks home next year.

Heightened security concerns have led the Dallas-area school district to take some extraordinary measures to protect its 5,842 students. Superintendent John Chapman III sent a letter to parents and guardians Monday, highlighting the changes the district is making to its protocols.

“Some procedures will not be a convenience to students and staff,” Chapman wrote. “Unfortunately, heightened security is not a convenience. Look at our airports and large events we attend. Security takes time, and we ask for your patience.”

A few of the changes will begin immediately: random backpack searches at the junior high and high school level, and asking staff and visitors to park away from buildings.

Next school year, more procedures will be introduced. Students at every grade level, including pre-K, will be required to have clear, PVC backpacks — similar to what’s allowed at NFL and college games.

Students at the junior high and high school level will be required to carry an ID badge. The district will install security gates throughout its campuses, and add more police officers and canine unit visits.

Classroom doors will be locked during the school day, and the district will add more security cameras over the next five years.

Chapman declined a request for an interview through the district’s communications officer, but offered this additional statement:

"In the Ennis Independent School District, the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our number one priority. While we work each day to provide educational excellence for every child in every classroom every day, our primary responsibility must be to keep our children and staff safe. Our parents and guardians have entrusted us with a priceless gift by sending their children to our schools, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

"In Ennis ISD, the safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors has been and will remain our very top priority and a primary focus of district operations. In doing so, we are providing heightened security measures."

Here’s Chapman’s letter: