COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s education superintendent says she’s sent $33 million of protective equipment to more than 1,300 schools in the state.
Superintendent Molly Spearman said Tuesday she fulfilled every request made and the state still has plenty of federal COVID-19 relief money to get them anything else they need to try to get students back in classrooms five days a week.
The latest purchases include 300,000 sheets of Plexiglass, 3.3 million masks, 600,000 boxes of disinfectant wipes and more than 41,000 gallons of hand sanitizer.
The SCDE has purchased and will distribute the following PPE and supplies to school districts:
- 597,585 – Adult and student reusable cloth face masks
- 2,681,950 – Adult and student disposable face masks
- 189,966 – KN95 masks
- 87,010 – Adult and student face shields
- 108,476 – Boxes of Gloves (100 count each)
- 331,913 – Gowns for nurses
- 606,473 – Cases of disinfecting wipes (50 count each)
- 41,474 – Gallons of hand sanitizer
- 99,259 – Bottles (16 oz) of hand sanitizer
- 69,243 – Bottles (32 oz) of disinfecting solution
- 1,746 – Electrostatic backpack sprayers
“With the 2020-21 school year well underway, it is critical that teachers and schools have the supplies needed to ensure face to face instruction can continue to be carried out as safely as possible,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “This statewide order will not only ensure that face to face operations can be maintained for the foreseeable future but will also provide the necessary resources to phase in additional face to face learning as health and safety conditions allow.”
COVID-19 cases have stabilized in South Carolina, but that means the virus is still spreading.
The state averaged 843 new cases a day over the past week.
