AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that Texas will be using funds from the federal CARES act to be put toward helping make remote learning easier for students.
According to a news release, Abbott will allocate $200 million to be used for the purchase of “eLearning devices and home internet solutions to enable remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic for Texas students that lack connectivity.”
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Abbott said the Texas Education Agency will use the money to buy devices, hotspots, routers and other necessary items based on specific needs that will be identified by local education agencies.
The local education agencies will purchase what they need for their districts using locally controlled Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) and other local funding and will be reimbursed using the allocated $200 million, according to Abbott.
“This funding will also establish a reimbursement program for devices and home internet costs incurred by LEAs from May 21 through Sept. 1,” the release said.
The $200 million is in addition to the $400 million in CRF, which is being used to reimburse districts that incurred coronavirus-related expenses during the last school year. Abbott said.
“As school districts delay the start of in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year … it is essential that we work to provide Texas students with the devices they need to connect and communicate online for classroom instruction,” Abbott said. “We are committed to providing reliable and effective solutions that will help students academically succeed while protecting public health.”