Headline Surfer photo illuustration /
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DELAND, Fla. -- In this age of COVID-19, it’s a big and expensive job outfitting a school district the size of Volusia’s – 61,000 students, 7,700 employees and 4,200 classrooms – with personal protective equipment (PPE).
On Tuesday, the school district got a little help from a friend – the Volusia County Council.
The council unanimously approved allocating $1.25 million of the county’s share of federal coronavirus relief funds to the school district to help it pay for needed PPE gear for the rest of the school year – things like face masks and shields, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and disposable wipes.
The personal gear and cleaners are needed to continually clean and disinfect school facilities and protect against the spread of the coronavirus. The cleanliness of the schools in Volusia County has been a constant source of consternation and complaints.
“We are going through it quickly,” School Board member Linda Cuthbert told council members on Tuesday.
The $1.25 million the County Council approved on Tuesday will help with the costs for all of that PPE equipment, estimated to be approximately $4.6 million for the entire school year. Both governments already collaborate on a wide range of other issues that include emergency shelters, public safety and use of school buses.
“We need to always work together,” Cuthbert said.
For his part, County Manager George Recktenwald said the partnership between the county and school district is strong.
“They’ve been a partner with us in other endeavors,” Recktenwald said.
For his part, County Manager George Recktenwald, shown here on the dais, said the partnership between the county and school district is strong. “They’ve been a partner with us in other endeavors,” Recktenwald said.
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.