Tarrant County hosts Back to School Roundup drive-thru event

FORT WORTH, Texas - Some things must go on and the Tarrant County Back to School Roundup was one of them. There were no haircuts or hugs this year but parents were still able to pick up free school supplies.

Over the past 15 years, the Tarrant County Back to School Roundup has become a popular tradition.

It still is but this year because of the pandemic, it was a scaled-down version of the event.

Families from school districts throughout the county were able to drive through and pick up free school supplies for their students from kindergarten through high school.

With an eye on safety, everything was done with social distancing in mind. The supply packs were dropped into the truck of each vehicle, minimizing the amount of human contact.

Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner talked about the importance of the event continuing despite the challenges.

“Families are struggling and here’s an opportunity for parents to get back to school supplies for their kids. We certainly want all our students back in our schools. We want to open when it’s safe so that we can keep them open,” he said.

The Fort Worth school board voted to delay the first day of school until Sept. 8, right after Labor Day. The first month of the fall semester will be all online for students in Fort Worth ISD.

The goal is to then put students back in classrooms but the final decision has not yet been made.

Organizers of Friday’s event said close to 1,400 families pre-registered. The county was able to serve about 5,600 students.

That’s fewer than in past years but the goal was still to help as many families as possible.