JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — When people go to the store, they know there is an elusive prize that many wish they could place in their carts -- disinfectant wipes. But, a problem for shoppers is also a big problem for Jefferson County Schools.
"There's a lot of holes and a lot of questions left about how the school year is gonna work out," Dale Munholland, social studies teacher at Pomona High School in Arvada, said.
On September 8, in-person classes begin across the JeffCo school district. But the district sent an email to teachers stating that its "large shipment of sanitizing wipes has been delayed for at least two to three weeks".
"I totally get that, I know, there's no disinfectant wipes. I look every time I go to the grocery store and they're not there," Munholland said.
The district does have some wipes, the email states, but it doesn't have enough to use when students take their masks off to eat meals in the classroom during breakfast or lunch.
"I would have some concerns in the elementary levels with the younger kids," Munholland said.
The backup plan, according to the district email, is to use 11-by-17 pieces of copier paper as disposable placemats until the shipment of wipes comes in.
"They've had months to prepare for this and the best that they can come up within a couple of weeks or in a couple of months of planning is a piece of paper that doesn't even cover the top of the desk," Munholland said.
JeffCo Schools responded by pointing out it has a warehouse full of personal protective equipment for staff. The district states that the shortage of wipes is something districts across the country are experiencing and some schools do have enough wipes. Teachers can also use a disinfecting spray until the shipment arrives, according to Chief Communications Officer Tammy Schiff.
"We are very serious about the disinfecting and cleaning with or without wipes," Schiff said in a text.
Munholland hopes the districts' cart will be full of disinfecting wipes soon, once again. In the meantime, he will prepare to meet with his students next week.
"I'm gonna have to make up, I think a lot of, fill in a lot of the gaps on my own," Munholland said.
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