Attention: Schools Need Your Help!
The Issue:
Many schools are planning an in-person or hybrid return for Fall 2020. While this will be a good opportunity for the kids and will relieve parents of having to cover high childcare costs, thereтАЩs also a problem: budgeting. Students are required to wear a mask, have their own school supplies (no more sharing!), bring their own water bottles, and wash their hands/sanitize frequently to prevent illness and keep schools open during this time. Many districts donтАЩt have the funding to provide all this stuff consistently throughout the pandemic and are calling for additional funds. However, given how slow funding decisions take, it would be really helpful for people in the community to step in and help. This would relieve parents (especially from low-income neighborhoods) the burden of buying supplies (kids are always losing things), water bottles, etc. and help keep schools open so alternative means of childcare donтАЩt need to be used.
How to Help:
Contact your local school district and ask about donating supplies. Students and staff will need the following:
- Masks (disposable or cloth)
- Cleaning wipes or spray (check with your district to make sure youтАЩre buying an approved cleaner)
- Gloves (honestly, not sure where you can buy these, but itтАЩs worth looking into)
- Hand sanitizer (individual mini sanitizers for kids to keep at their desks and large bottles for classroom use)
- Hand soap (again, check with your district; some schools can only use certain types of soap)
- Pencils/pens (I recommend mechanical pencils since they donтАЩt need to be sharpened and can be disinfected if needed)
- Notebooks/binders/looseleaf paper
- Highlighters
- Calculators
- Rulers, protractors, etc.
- Crayons/colored pencils/washable markers (for younger students)
- Reusable water bottles
- Copy paper (for teachers; this will probably be the first thing to get cut out of budgets)
My Plan:
IтАЩm collecting supplies and donate for my district, with a focus on the high-needs school where I work (thereтАЩs roughly 400 kids that attend). To this end, my Ko-Fi goal is no longer books, but supplies. DonтАЩt get me wrong, they still need books, but right now, supplies is more urgent. For every Ko-Fi donation you make, I can buy roughly one pack of mechanical pencils or two mini hand sanitizer bottles. Link to my Ko-Fi is here: https://ko-fi.com/crazy4dragons
Of course, I also encourage you to help out your own schools and communities during this time to ensure students can have a successful school year.
