The Frisco Independent School District is beginning in-person classes Thursday. The district started with online classes only August 13, and families could opt-in for in-person learning today.
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce worked with Altair Global, a consulting company based in Frisco, to raise money for personal protective equipment in classrooms.
"As parents, you're making a lot of decisions, and it's just an anxious time," says Altair Global Chief Executive Chad Sterling. "We started with a small group of folks who wanted to help out a couple local schools just to say thanks to the teachers.
Initially, Sterling says an employee wanted to raise money for masks and gloves at two schools. He says other businesses in the city were excited to participate. By Thursday, he says the effort had raised more than $70,000, with 20 local companies participating in "Operation Better Together."
Volunteers set up gift bags that will be delivered to 4,500 teachers at all 72 Frisco ISD schools Friday. Sterling says the bags will include masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. He says companies also donated gift cards and school supplies; local sports teams also gave memorabilia that would normally have been given to fans at games.
"It's been awesome. Really, it's just the work of a couple people reaching out," Sterling says. "Whether you're a parent or not, you see what's going on. There's just a lot of nervousness and uncertainty in the air."
Thursday morning, Frisco ISD was reporting 47 active cases of COVID-19 among students and staff. The district has a dashboard where families can see active cases.
Of 72 schools in the district, 25 were reporting active cases Thursday morning. Wakeland High School had the most, with five students and one staff member testing positive; Liberty High School had one student and three staff members testing positive. The district offices and three schools had three active cases; six schools had two; 13 schools had one case.
The Frisco ISD says it had purchased 40,000 masks and 259,000 pairs of gloves.
The Texas Education Agency is also planning to provide districts with personal protective equipment, but Frisco ISD says it had not received its share Thursday.
In person classes resumed Thursday in McKinney ISD as well. McKinney also has an online resource where parents can see which campuses have reported cases. The district updates its dashboard weekly.