McNeill: More than $1.6 million to aid in addressing healthy and safety during coronavirus pandemic, mitigation efforts
Rep. Jeanne McNeill August 14, 2020 | 4:16 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 14– State Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Lehigh, today announced that $1.64 million in funding has been awarded to career and technical centers and school districts in the 133rd Legislative District to support costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation efforts.
“During these uncertain and extraordinary times, we must take every precaution we can to ensure the health and safety for our students and the staff in our schools,” McNeill said. “These dollars will aid administrators in putting critical mitigation plans into place, purchase resources and make the technological investments vital to secure the safest learning environments for our children as they head back to class, either physically, remotely or in a hybrid form.”
The districts and amounts awarded are:
- Bethlehem Area School District $720,525.
- Catasauqua Area School District $180,962.
- Salisbury Township School District $185,323.
- Whitehall-Coplay School District $289,347.
- Innovative Arts Academy $90,000.
- Arts Academy Charter Middle School $90,000.
- Carbon-Lehigh IU 21 $90,000.
According to McNeill, eligible uses for the funding include the purchase of cleaning and sanitizing products; training and professional development of staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases; equipment purchases; modifying existing areas to support appropriate social distancing of students and staff; providing mental health services and supports; purchasing educational technology for distance learning; and other health and safety programs, items or services necessary to address the COVID-19 disaster emergency.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency awarded COVID-19 Disaster Emergency School Health and Safety grants for the 2020-21 school year from its allocation of federal CARES Act money.
More information about the PCCD grants can be found online here.