Academy District 20 limits sharing of school supplies ahead of elementary school re-openings

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Elementary schools in Academy District 20 are expected to return to in-person learning on August 24th for the fall semester -- but things won't be the same as last year, especially when it comes to school supplies.

Usually, elementary schools in District 20 have communal supplies for their classrooms. This year, however, each student will be given an individual bag of supplies that cannot be shared.

Fortunately, this isn't driving up the $35 dollar flat-fee parents pay schools for those supplies.

Recess equipment can be shared within a classroom, but no further.

“Now we have 24 individually bagged recess bags with your balls, and your jump ropes, and all of those things you’d have at recess - because we have to keep them per cohort group - so they don’t get cross-contaminated," says Allison Cortez, Director of Communications for Academy District 20.

The district will also be providing students with a whole lot of hand sanitizer.

“At one point we ordered 9,000 pounds of hand sanitizer," says Cortez. "We have all these new hand sanitizer distributions around our schools."

Students will still need to bring their own masks to school, though schools will have extras on hand just in case.

District 20 leaders say the extra precautions their schools are taking are even more extreme than the guidelines released by the Colorado Department of Education.

Even so, parents are encouraged to be prepared to move back to virtual learning at any point this school year.