Linden school officials say that they have managed to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to PPE and that all students and staff will be protected when school resumes.

All the supplies are currently being stored in the district’s warehouse. The supplies include 600,000 masks, 1,800 gallons of hand sanitizer, 4,800 Clorox wipes, 250 thermometers and a misting machine. This is all to cover 11 schools and 800 classrooms and is expected to last until January.

“I believe we are as ready as we can be. All we need to do is open school,” says Larry Miranda, of the Linden Buildings and Grounds Department.

School officials say that they started ordering the supplies in April and partially paid for them with the $1 million saved by not having to pay for substitute teachers when the district switched to remote learning. The district can also call on money from the CARES Act if needed.

Linden School Superintendent Marnie Hazelton says that the masks and sanitizer will be given to each student and staffer every day.

“We have more than enough for every teacher and every student,” she says.

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Hazelton says that the district is close to finalizing plans for a hybrid-model school year, which would probably feature three days of virtual learning and two days of in-school learning.

She says that cleaning protocols are set. Cleaning in common areas will take place every 30-60 minutes. Socially distant classrooms will get a deep cleaning every night.

Hazelton says that the schools are ready, but she says that the decision to bring students back to the classroom wasn’t taken lightly and is subject to change.

“Our children need to be in school. They do not need to be back in school if we cannot secure their teachers and safety of our teachers,” she says.

The Linden Board of Education will be reviewing potential plans to reopen during a work session. The plan is to have a formal decision on schooling by next week.