County Magazine

Preparing for a new school year is stressful for families, and county officials across the state are stepping up in ways that go far beyond their everyday responsibilities. From opening their offices on the weekend to hosting back-to-school events, counties are finding creative ways to ease burdens on families while building stronger community connections. 

For Fort Bend County Clerk Laura Richard, back-to-school season means making an often stressful process easier for working families. As the county’s local registrar, Richard’s office helps parents obtain birth certificates needed for school enrollment. 

Recognizing that many parents cannot easily visit county offices during regular business hours, the clerk’s office launched special Saturday hours in 2023 dedicated to back-to-school birth certificate services. 

“The impetus was just to give working parents a chance to come in on a Saturday when they weren’t working and didn’t have to take off time,” Richard said. “Registering your child can be stressful enough, particularly for those little kindergartners that are starting school for the first time.” 

The events often feel more like community gatherings than government business. Richard said the office has partnered with commissioners and other local events, sometimes even bringing in treats for children while families handle paperwork. 

In Jefferson County, Constable Christopher Bates and his office have transformed back-to-school outreach into a full community celebration. 

Partnering with the nonprofit Linda’s Lighthouse, Bates helps organize a large-scale annual event that serves at least 500 students each year in Port Arthur. Families receive backpacks and supplies, but the event also includes haircuts, sports physicals, lunch, games, live music and activities designed to bring the community together. 

“We interact with the kids for about four hours, and then we also give them the school supplies,” Bates said. “That’s really important for our community because there’s a need, and we want to make sure that we satisfy that need.” 

Bates said the event also creates an important opportunity for deputies and constables to connect with families in a positive environment. 

“A lot of times when we get the call to come out or we get the paper to go and serve, it’s not a situation where it may be enjoyable,” Bates said. “It’s very important that the community, family, kids, they see us in a different light.” 

That interaction can be as simple as giving children high fives, racing them during activities, or simply spending time together outside of difficult situations. 

“We always want to instill the positive reinforcement from the law enforcement community to our community that we live in,” Bates said. 

In Brazos County, the Precinct 2 Constable’s Office has built a similar mission around its annual Back to School Bash, an event that has quickly grown into one of the community’s largest back-to-school outreach efforts. 

Deputy Tony Piccolo said the event was created after local schools shared concerns that some children were arriving without proper supplies. 

“Some kids were carrying around school supplies in plastic H-E-B and Walmart bags,” Piccolo said. 

Now entering its third year, the event serves between 1,300 and 1,500 students with backpacks, school supplies, clothing, food and supportive services. Families can also connect with organizations offering mental health support, housing assistance, health screenings and insurance resources. 

Piccolo said the office wanted to ease some of the financial burden families face during back-to-school season while also creating stronger ties between law enforcement and the community. 

“We wanted to make sure kids were prepared for the new school year, but also to bridge the gap with law enforcement and members of the community,” Piccolo said. 

The event takes months of planning and relies heavily on local businesses and volunteers. Instead of simply collecting miscellaneous donations, Piccolo coordinates sponsors to provide specific school supply items requested by local schools. 

Brazos County Constable Donald Lampo said the feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Like Jefferson County’s efforts, the Back to School Bash also creates an important opportunity for constables and deputies to interact with the public outside of difficult situations. The office continues that outreach throughout the school year by regularly visiting elementary schools, greeting students in the mornings, and building relationships with children and teachers. 

“Most of what we do is related to evictions,” Piccolo said. “Them seeing us in a positive light, able to hand out supplies, hand out food, snow cones, prizes, gift cards, I think it makes a big difference.” 

Brazos County Constable Precinct 2 Deputy Tony Piccolo receives TCOLE award 

Deputy Tony Piccolo recently received statewide recognition for his efforts to support local students and families through the Brazos County Precinct 2 Constable Office’s Back to School Bash. 

Piccolo was honored at the Texas Capitol with a State of Texas Achievement Award for Community Service from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), recognizing his leadership in creating and growing the annual event. TCOLE’s achievement awards recognize law enforcement professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty in service to their communities. 

What began as an idea to help children start school with the supplies they need has quickly grown into one of the area’s largest back-to-school outreach events. The bash now serves 1,200-1,500 students annually with backpacks, school supplies, clothing, food and community resources. 

Piccolo emphasized that the recognition belongs to the entire office and the many local businesses and volunteers who support the event each year. 

“Even though I did receive that award, it still takes a collaboration of everybody in the office,” Piccolo said. “Without this office, stakeholders and the local businesses, it just wouldn’t happen.”