Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter set to appear at Manhattan school supply drive for teachers

Actress and comedian Lisa Ann Walter will join BIC for a back-to-school supply drive for teachers in New York City on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

Courtesy of BIC

Teachers are invited to shop alongside Emmy-winning actress and comedian Lisa Ann Walter, from “Abbott Elementary” and “The Parent Trap,” for school supplies at BIC’s “Supply Closet” on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Walter will serve as honorary “hall monitor” and guiding teachers through the supply drive as they shop for BIC stationery for the new school year.

The public is also welcome to join the event and write “thank you” notes for their own teachers, as well as donate to the Kids in Need Foundation’s wishlists for teachers. Teachers are asked to bring their school IDs with them to gain access to the event. 

Most teachers across the United States continue to be strained as roughly 90% of teachers spend anywhere $500 to $820 out of pocket for school supplies in a single school year, according to the National Education Association. Teachers are digging into their own pockets to purchase supplies such as paper and notebooks, binders and clipboards, and crayons and pencils. 

As of most recent, eligible educators are allowed to deduct up to $300 of qualified out-of-pocket expenses on their taxes, according to the IRS.

In an interview with amNewYork Metro, Walter — who plays Melissa Schemmenti, the fourth-grade teacher from South Philly on “Abbott Elementary” — said she knows that public school teachers are one of the most deserving, but under-recognized groups. 

“My mom was one,” Walter said. “There’s always been increasing discrepancy in who is getting the resources that we need to teach the next generation of our children.”

She said she’s noticed that a “discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots” and there are only some schools providing their students with STEM-focused, cutting-edge technology.

“If you’re going to school without science labs without…