Thousands of Arlington ISD students get free backpacks, haircuts at back-to-school event

Students throughout North Texas will head back to the classroom in the coming weeks. That includes Arlington ISD on August 12. The district helped families get prepared with its back-to-school kickoff.

Thousands of Arlington ISD parents and students lined the outside of AT&T Stadium Saturday to get free school supplies, shoes, haircuts, and more. They got a pep talk from Arlington ISD Superintendent Matt Smith and visited almost 100 vendors and community groups.

"With over 800 volunteers here today, it just tells you how much this means to the Arlington ISD community. We're grateful for their support, and we're grateful for the kids that we have in our schools this year," Smith said. 

Volunteers inside handed out almost 10,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, and other volunteers made sure students had a fresh haircut before returning to the classroom. That included 16-year-old rising senior Alyssa Davila.

"I feel like it makes me feel better knowing that I can help a little kid, rather than him going to another salon and not liking it," Davila said.

Davila is part of the Arlington ISD's cosmetology program. She'll have her certificate and start her career after graduating from Bowie High School.

"It literally is giving me a head start so I don't have to spend a grand amount of money in another beauty school or anything like that," Davila said.

If you missed the event, you can learn about free resources by going to the back-to-school tab on Arlington ISD's website.

More than 100,000 students have received backpacks at the event over the past 12 years.