Area schools win federal emergency relief funds

Middlesex County legislators are lauding the release of $492.43 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds throughout Connecticut.

Monies are dedicated to targeting and reducing educational disparities that have been further exacerbated due to the pandemic, with possible uses including additional classroom supports, intensive tutoring and enhanced summer school programming, according to a press release.

Districts receiving assistance include:

Middletown, $3,204,786; Regional School District 13, Middlefield/Rockfall, $194,700; Killingworth, along with the regional school district, $201,928; Durham (along with the regional school district), $194,700; Deep River, $123,644; East Haddam, $136,979; East Hampton, $190,379; Essex, $62,139; Old Saybrook, $449,557; Portland, $312,041; and Westbrook, $285,978; Chester, $103,776, and Clinton, $738,712, the news release said.

“So much has been asked of our students and educators during this difficult time that has laid bare the disparities that exist within the education system,” state Sen. Daugherty Abrams, D-Meriden, said in a prepared statement. She represents Middlefield, Rockfall, Middletown and Cheshire.

“I’m really happy that students who experience additional hardships will have increased resources and abilities to succeed in the classroom,” state Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, said in the statement.

Approved uses include coordinating improved COVID-19 response, prevention and preparation efforts; addressing learning loss among students, including groups seen to experience increased learning loss such as low-income students and children with disabilities, according to the state.

Also, it can pay for English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness and children and youth in foster care; addressing individual schools’ needs; improving sanitation on school campuses; and improving indoor air quality in schools while reducing risk of environmental health hazards, among others, are qualified expenses, the release said.