As America is well into its reopening phase, the Texas school system is prioritizing its student’s safety against COVID-19 for the 2019-2021 school year. The school ordered a massive number of disposable masks, gloves, thermometers, hand sanitizer, reusable masks, face shields, desk dividers.
The initiative was in collaboration with the Texas Governor’s Strike Force and the Texas Department of Emergency Management to help school systems reopen.
| Statewide PPE procurement overview | |
| PPE item | Amount procured |
| Disposable masks | 50,000,000 |
| Gloves | 10,000,000 |
| Thermometers
(infrared and no-contact) |
40,000 |
| Hand sanitizer | 500,000 gallons |
| Reusable masks | 12,500,000 |
| Face shields | TBD |
| Desk dividers | TBD |
The PPE is expected to arrive between mid-July and early August. The TEA said districts maintain the discretion and responsibility for distributing the PPE as they see fit.
PPE allotments were calculated by using 2019-2020 student and on-campus staff counts and were allotted on a per-pupil, district basis. On-campus staff includes teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and auxiliary staff.
