Danielle Cupit is one Natchez parent who faces extra &uot;pocket rippers&uot; this month as children head back to school. Cupit spent about $81 buying school supplies for her twin daughters, who begin kindergarten at Frazier Primary School this fall. She also had to purchase more than $150 in school uniforms and other clothing.

&uot;That was another pocket-ripper,&uot; Cupit said of the uniform costs.

Cupit is one of hundreds of Natchez parents who have been hitting the stores recently, buying everything from Crayola crayons, bottles of glue, liquid soap, Lysol spray and other supplies.

Depending on the item, Cupit said she did mind buying the supplies or the uniforms. &uot;I can understand just the basic school supplies,&uot; Cupit said, but she thinks the schools should be able to provide cleaning supplies.

Cathedral parent Cheryl Swaggart spent Tuesday evening shopping for school supplies with her daughter, Sarah, who is entering the fifth grade.

Cheryl Swaggart was trying to beat the crowd by shopping early this year.

&uot;If I&160;waited for the weekend it would be pitiful,&uot; she said. &uot;We did that last year and there was nothing left. It looked like a tornado had been here and wiped the shelves clean.&uot;

Elementary school staff in all Natchez schools issued the supply lists so parents could purchase the items before the first day of school.

Superintendent Rufus Carlock, of Adams County Christian School thinks it helps the younger students to have all their supplies in place the first day of school.

&uot;It just makes it easier on them,&uot; Carlock said. &uot;Our parents are very cooperative in providing those items.&uot;

School officials said these items are essential to getting school off to the right start. &uot;It’s things that they need to be successful during the school year,&uot; said Carla Evers, principal at Morgantown Elementary School, who has three elementary children in the district.

And Demetria Reed, the principal at Frazier Primary School thinks teachers need nontraditional school items like Lysol and antibacterial soap for their classrooms.

For example, the teachers actually squirt soft-soap in the students hands’ during bathroom breaks or lunchtime. &uot;We want to make sure we have a fresh clean environment and with little ones like this you have a lot of communicable diseases,&uot; she said.

The teachers use up most of the items during a school year. she added.

In addition to the standard items Frazier Primary’s preschool list also asked students to bring a shower cap to school.

The preschoolers wear the caps to playing in the sand box because that age-group tends to pour sand in their hair, Reed said.

Reed said parents tend to purchase all the items on the list for their students.

&uot;For the most part, parents are very supportive and they try their best to get what’s on the supply list,&uot; she said.

But Reed, ask parents who can not afford the supplies to contact her so the school can help.

&uot;We don’t want (a student) to feel different because they don’t have supplies,&uot; she said.