The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students continues to be enormous.  Students will be back in school in September, and to ensure the safety of them, their families, and their teachers, the school experience will be vastly different than everybody has become accustomed to.

Shared resources are a staple of education – books, math manipulatives, school supplies, technology, and other learning aides have always been passed between individuals, classrooms, and grade levels to ensure that all students had access to them.  In the age of COVID-19, sharing is no longer an option, and the tools that students rely on to help them in their learning are in short supply.  We also have many students accessing hub learning, and it is imperative to make sure that individuals not returning to the classroom also have everything they need to succeed in the coming year.

EducationMatters is launching an emergency Back to School campaign to help schools provide appropriate supports for their students in the coming school year.  Initially, we are focusing is on providing backpacks loaded with school supplies to students in need to ensure that they can find success at school and at home this year: the cost of a filled backpack ranges from $30-$50 (depending on the age of the student) and we have approximately 3,000 CBE students in need of one.

Once students have the basic supplies they need we will turn our attention to learning resources including books, math manipulatives, technology, and other tools as identified by students, schools, and parents.

Please join us in helping to keep our students safe by reducing the need to share resources this school year.  Together we can help our young people learn and grow throughout this pandemic.

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