As politicians continue to ramp up pressure to reopen schools, administrators are attempting to figure out how they’re going to afford all the Personal Protective Equipment they’ll need for students and staff heading back amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.
With the recent uptick in coronavirus infections, there’s another PPE shortage, which means the prices in the coming weeks, as schools decide whether to reopen their buildings, could tick up.
AASA, the School Superintendents Association, estimates school districts will collectively spend close to $25 billion on PPE this fall. Costs for masks, nursing gowns, gloves and other PP vary widely for districts based on a range of factors, including local conditions and state requirements. Some states, such as California and Texas, have purchased equipment for the schools.
So what’s the outlook for a specific district? Patrick Miller, the superintendent of Greene County schools in Snow Hill, N.C., estimated purchasing all the equipment it needs will cost his district more than $600,000.
Click here to download a list of what districts in North Carolina have been advised by the state’s health department to purchase this fall. The state has not provided districts with any extra money to buy the PPE.