This is the week that Erie's Public Schools begin enforcing a new clear backpack policy for all students grades K-12.

 Schools began distributing free clear backpacks to each student today. Erie News Now watched as Grover Cleveland students were dismissed, each carrying those new clear backpacks.  

At the end of the day theses students transferred their stuff into the new clear bags.  The backpacks handed out at the high school level are bigger and able to accommodate heavier books. 

It's all a move to keep Erie students safe, by making sure nothing against the rules gets carried into schools. 

The clear bags will also move students through daily security checks more quickly.

"Having clear bags eliminates some of that opening up and kind of really looking and digging through what is the contents of the bag, because you'll simply be able to hold up the bag, look at what's inside and really cut down on the amount of time, if we're cutting down the amount of screening time, now we're increasing the amount of educational time the students are spending in their rooms," said Neal Brokman, Assistant Superintendent. 

To get the policy started, the district covered the $90,000 cost of school-wide clear backpacks through grants.  Families will now be expected to purchase their own.