Walking through the aisles of the local superstores this time of year, there are many things to be found, namely school supplies, and a bunch of frantic parents scrambling to get everything prepared to send their little darlings off to another year of education. But one thing noticeably absent this year is students and families from the Arlington School District.

In a groundbreaking move, the district has funded a program to bring the responsibility of buying supplies away from the pocketbooks of parents. These changes have been a while in the making, and will impact grade levels differently. At an Elementary level, they are providing everything except for backpacks needed to obtain the highest grade for in a class. Middle and High School students are responsible for binders, dividers, P.E. uniforms, pencils, and a backpack, which is optional.

When interviewed, the administration was still unclear on a specific plan to distribute all of these supplies, but one idea that was discussed involved a chain of command system, where the principal would give to the department heads, and the department heads would give to the teachers, and to the students from there. One major challenge that was discussed was finding a place for all of the materials on campus. Principal Brian Beckley said “We have too many students and not enough storage facilities.”

But the impact of this reaches far beyond the schools, and into the community. As Assistant Principal Christine Hinojosa said “As a parent,when you go into a store and see school supplies lists and you don’t see Arlington, it’s just makes you think how lucky we are…to have a district that realizes those barriers to success.”

At the student level, the most important thing right now is awareness, many students are still unaware of the funding now in place. In a separate interview with an upcoming senior, Ethan Cantrell, he said “In Elementary school, it was lots of fun to go pick out exactly what…you wanted, but I can see how it could be helpful to the individuals in the community who need financial aid.” and that overall, the district’s decision will have a positive effect.  

Beckley later said “It’s all about leveling the playing field…every student has the access to what they need.”