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FILE – Back-to-school supplies await shoppers at a store on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in Marlborough, Mass. The pandemic has dragged into the new school year and wreaked havoc on reopening plans. That has extended to the back-to-school shopping season, the second most important period for retailers behind the holidays. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes, File) This weekend is the tax-free weekend and per usual many families will be stocking up on school supplies. But there are some new essentials on the supply list that you may not have had to consider before. Damita Parks has two sons and she’s upset that they won’t get to have a normal school year this year. “They want to meet their friends. They want to have fun and do all the fun things that kindergarteners do. You don’t get to. You’re stuck at home with mom as your teacher,” she said. Instead of a typical in-person classroom setup, Parks’ sons will be participating in Lee Home Connect, one of the options the Lee County School District gave parents as an alternative to face-to-face instruction. So this year, her shopping list looked a little different than usual. “But is this what you want?” She asked them. Parks only got one thing for her sons, each a new laptop and a mouse to go with it. “Since I’m going to have two kids doing them online, it’s easier for them to have two separate computers so that they can go to separate rooms and do their separate lessons.” Even though she did buy two brand new laptops, Parks says she still spent less than if she had gotten everything on the usual school supply list. “So it’s just going to be weird for 2020,” Parks said. Indeed many people would agree, 2020 has been weird. Parents have the rest of the weekend to continue shopping tax-free for school supplies. If you’re not in the market for school essentials other items are tax-free as well.