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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Department of Education is ready to receive additional federal funds to assist colleges deal with challenges confronted by weak scholar populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials say $56 million in further funding was supplied to the division under the American Rescue Plan Act to assist the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grant applications focused at college students with disabilities, and to assist particular and pressing wants of college students who’re experiencing homelessness.
“South Carolina’s vulnerable student populations continue to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” mentioned State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “These funds will be used by school districts to address the specific needs of students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness so that they have every opportunity to be successful now and into the future.”
According to the SC Dept. of Education, the state’s allocation of greater than $43 million can be utilized for all bills allowed under the IDEA, with a give attention to assuaging challenges sparked by the pandemic when it comes to fairness in schooling for college kids with disabilities.
Uses might embrace:
• Providing compensatory companies primarily based on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) staff selections;
• Providing assist and direct companies for college kids with disabilities;
• Providing constructive habits and intervention helps and psychological well being companies;
• Improving the use of know-how in the classroom and/or in a distant setting to improve studying;
• Implementing transition companies to assist postsecondary actions; and
• Assisting districts in assembly personnel shortages together with hiring additional personnel to present particular schooling and associated companies and decreasing caseloads in key areas.
The funding will probably be distributed by way of two formulation grants.
IDEA Section 611 for kids ages three by way of 21 and Section 619 for kids ages three by way of 5. Each district’s allocation will be discovered right here.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Funding
South Carolina was allotted $13.8 million in homeless youngsters and youth funding with $10.4 million going straight to college districts and the remaining quantity reserved by the SCDE’s McKinney-Vento Program to implement actions that can assist districts in figuring out and supporting youngsters and youth who’re experiencing homelessness.
During the 2019-2020 college 12 months, roughly 12,000 South Carolina college students have been recognized as experiencing homelessness. The inhabitants contains youngsters under the age of 5 and college students enrolled in pre-kindergarten by way of grade 12.
Uses of this funding might embrace:
- Providing wraparound companies, which can be supplied in collaboration with and/or by way of contracts with community-based organizations, together with:
- Academic helps
- Trauma-informed care
- Mental well being companies
- Purchasing wanted provides, resembling:
- Eyeglasses
- School provides
- Personal care gadgets
- Providing transportation to allow college students to attend courses and take part totally in college actions;
- Providing entry to dependable, high-speed web for college kids.
Each district’s allocation will be discovered right here.
Public colleges in South Carolina have obtained $3.3 billion in federal COVID-19 academic aid funding courting again to March 2020 in assist of college reopening and addressing scholar, employees, and group pandemic-related wants.
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