$224,000 dedicated for students with special needs

PHOENIXVILLE » State Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D157th Dist., announced that four area school districts received grants to heighten their education services for students with special needs who may be negatively impacted by COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

The following school districts received Governor’s Emergency Education Relief grants:

• Phoenixville Area: $40,112

• Tredyffrin-Easttown: $69,747

• Spring-Ford Area: $129,716

• Renaissance Academy Charter School: $5,000

“Many people are going back to school today, whether it’s in-person or online, and it’s crucial that we support students who depend on their school’s special needs programs to help them reach their full potential,” Shusterman said. “This funding will help students overcome some obstacles brought on by COVID-19 mitigation measures and ensure they can continue making progress this academic year.”

Grants may be used to provide enhanced synchronous (real-time) instruction to bolster remote services and supports for students with complex needs and to provide services and support to students with disabilities who experienced a loss in skills and behavior and/or a lack of progress due to the mandatory school closures.

This funding comes from the $15 million in the commonwealth’s GEER fund and $5 million from the Department of Education’s federal funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.The federal CARES Act authorizes governors to determine the educational use of GEER funds.