With Some Schools Moving Outdoors, Retailers Follow

But Mr. Bienenstock was prepared because of an “ace in the hole”: his father, the mucosal immunologist Dr. John Bienenstock.

“We started our conversation around Christmas, about how our immune systems were going to react to this; how this was ‘the one,’” Mr. Bienenstock said.

So Mr. Bienenstock began creating log-based outdoor classrooms, called OutClass, that schools can set up in less than a day. He said year-over-year inquiries for his products from school administrators are up about 600 percent.

“Normally in August, you can’t get a hold of anyone, but we’ve actually had superintendents calling us, which is freakish,” he said.

While several major metro public school districts have expressed interest, Mr. Bienenstock said many “have been frozen” by the pandemic.

“The decision-making is cumbersome,” he said. “This thing is moving too fast.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/06/business/schools-outdoor-gear.html