Some of Tulsa County’s $114 million in federal coronavirus relief funds may go toward getting personal protective equipment to area school districts before students and teachers potentially return to classrooms next month.
"We think that it’s of vital importance to make sure that we’re allowing for them to have to proper equipment they need to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 heading into the fall," said Tulsa Area Emergency Manager Joe Kralicek.
Kralicek said he’s been in talks with the county’s school districts about their needs for personal protective equipment and is taking that information to a Tulsa County committee making recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on awarding funds from the county's Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocation.
"My ideal goal would be to put a mask with every student and every teacher, as well as all the office staff and every adult that goes into or out of Tulsa Public Schools or any of the other school districts in the county," Kralicek said.
The CARES Act committee would have to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners approval of giving money to school districts for PPE or approval of giving money to the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency to buy it for them.
The county began awarding tranches of its CARES Act allocation in May.
