COLUMBUS, Ohio — Since the start of the 2021-22 school year, the state has sent 20 million items of personal protective equipment to schools throughout Ohio, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services announced Monday. 

What You Need To Know

  • The state of Ohio has distributed more than 20 million items of PPE to schools

  • Items of PPE include masks, gowns, hand sanitizer and face shields

  • COVID-19 cases in schools have steadily declined since September

  • Some districts have eased COVID-19 protocols as cases wane and more students get vaccinated

The items include 11,368,000 masks, 8,243,000 gloves, 65,000 gowns, 14,360 face shields, and 720 gallons of hand sanitizer, Ohio DAS said. State officials said schools will have five more opportunities to order additional PPE supplies through December. 

How much PPE will be needed in school in 2022 remains a question. Starting last week, children ages 5-11 could begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, which the CDC said is 91 percent effective at reducing the spread of the virus. 

Ohio has also recently changed its rules for in-school quarantining in an effort to keep students in the classroom. 

“Thanks to this partnership with ODH, millions of PPE items are reducing the spread of the virus and strengthening Gov. (Mike) DeWine’s efforts to keep kids in school,” said DAS Director Kathleen C. Madden.

According to Ohio Department of Health data, COVID-19 cases in schools have steadily declined since September. Since the start of the 2021-22 school year, there have been 62,941 cases among students and 11,033 cases among staff. 

With cases dropping, a number of districts have been easing COVID-19 protocols. Students and staff in the large northeast Ohio district Parma are no longer required to wear face coverings.

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