With the school year quickly approaching, students and teachers are preparing to head back to school whether that be in person or online. Local organizations and businesses are making sure they have what they need.
Several organizations came together Wednesday for a school supply drive at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford. They collected a wide range of items from typical school supplies, to items like cleaning supplies that teachers are going to need to help keep their classrooms safe.
“I know how needy teachers are, a lot of times teachers will spend several hundred dollars just getting ready just getting ready for their students to come back and I know school supplies are used up quickly there’s always a huge need,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz.
All of the items collected will go to both students and teachers here in Connecticut.
“We are already hearing that the need is more. With regards to students, it’s all the back to school supplies. You know you have so much unemployment going on right now that the parents can’t necessarily get all those back to school supplies that their children need and want,” said Tom Nicholas
Vice President, Connecticut Education Association.
Everyone who donated received a little something as well. They were given facemasks and hand sanitizers made in Connecticut by a local cosmetics business.
“When COVID hit and we started to make the hand sanitizer, our biggest thing was to supply as many hand sanitizers as we could to first responders. Right now, I feel like our teachers are kind of going to be responders for our kids and this was just a great event that we really wanted to be a part of and give back,” said Brenda Mierzejewski, CEO, Mizzi Cosmetics.
The drive comes as the start of school approaches in the state. Some districts have already pushed back their opening dates over safety concerns.
Many teachers and families are voicing their concerns over returning to the classroom.
They say they want a safe and fully funded strategy for returning to school and they are calling the current plan dangerous and irresponsible.
They are asking for in-person learning to be phased in, rather than go back in a couple of weeks all at once.
They are also asking for more funding to cover the costs of PPE, more cleaning and sanitizing, and modifications to classrooms to ensure social distancing, especially in school districts that are already underfunded.
The groups are also highlighting the importance of training for teachers to be able to do distancing learning better than they did in the spring.
The district's current back to school plan allows pre-k through ninth grade to learn inside the classroom five days a week and students in grades 10th through 12th will do a hybrid schedule coming to school twice a week.