Berrien RESA is going to provide school districts throughout the county with personal protective equipment. RESA Superintendent Eric Hoppstock tells WSJM News the Governor’s Mask Up campaign is working with ISDs to get masks out to students.
“The state realized they had all of this personal protective equipment that they had amassed over the last few months, and they had more than they needed,” Hoppstock said. “So they were looking at ways to share that back with communities, in particular with school starting up.”
RESA is expecting a shipment of 18,500 masks shortly after Labor Day. Hoppstock says schools are currently well-stocked with PPE, but the need will continue. Also, the costs will quickly rise considering the county’s roughly 25,000 students.
“With each mask per day at just a dollar, you can see how that adds up quickly. $25,000 a day over multiple days.”
Hoppstock says RESA has been helping local schools during the COVID crisis in multiple ways. A few weeks ago, the RESA Board waived nearly $1 million in fees to districts. The organization will continue to look for ways to support districts as the pandemic drags on.
