DES MOINES, Iowa — A group of Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) parents is raising money to help the district purchase thousands of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for students and staff.
The goal of the fundraiser is to keep students, teachers, and staff all safe once they return to the classroom in January. The district has been learning remotely since November 24.
“I just want to keep people as safe as possible," said Nicole Grundmeier, the fundraiser's creator. "There is PPE, but we don’t know how long this pandemic is going to stretch. Unfortunately, there [are] not enough funds from the state and [the] federal government to help schools.”
Grundmeier said her daughter, Juliet, was in the Pre-K classroom that had one of the first COVID-19 cases in the district last spring.
The district has masks to hand out, but supplies are limited.
There are 30,000 students and 5,000 staff members at DMPS, meaning this fundraiser could help take a load off the district.
“It takes a huge financial burden off of the school because it will be donated and we can use our own general fund for other resources," explained Diane Gladson, a DMPS health services supervisor.