LAFAYETTE, La. - Some students could be missing a few items though causing them to be a little ill-prepared, why? The pandemic has caused a school supply shortage.
As the summer comes to an end there hasn't been a lot of action over the last few weeks from the kiddos but that's all about to change.
"I am excited to go back to school and I'm going to second grade," said Lanclos
I said, "that's exciting, what school do you go to zoey?"
"I go to Ridge Elementary," said Lanclos
Up and coming second grader's like Zoey are ready to get back in the classroom but some parent's aren't too ready to pay the bill. This year back to school spending could reach an all-time high of $37.1 billion.
Some residents like Genie Dohon, the great-grandmother of Zoey Lanclos say prices are going up. However it is not an issue that's affecting her and her family.
"They didn't have any problems with shopping because they did it early. We got her a pair of slip on tennis shoes and an extra pair," said Dohon
The pandemic has caused a delay in shipping and a disruption in supply chains for stuff like backpacks, sneakers and stationery items such as pencils and index cards.
Also The National Retail Federation says on average for back to school shopping this year parents and consumers can expect to spend up to $850. Now keep in mind that price is for households that have 3 or more children. On average for one child, it'll cost you close to $270.
Other parents like Sebnem Cilesiz, who are choosing to keep their kids at home out of fear of contarcting COVID-19 are also losing money. Cilesiz's son is in private school and she has already paid for his tuition.
"The money is an issue but really not getting the quality education that we wanted is the bigger cost. You can imagine I'm not comfortable with him being in a social setting 8 hours a day 5 days a week," said Cilesiz
Between a spike in school supply prices and a fear of catching COVID-19 many say they are just happy for the chance to interact with other people.
"I just get to see my teacher and I get to make new friends," said Lanclos
If there parents out there who may be struggling to afford back to school items remember that Acadiana has many back to school drives planned. The next one will actually be this Saturday at the Walmart in Carencro from 11 am to 3 pm.
