$255K in State Grants Aid Special Ed in 4 Districts

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by the office of state Rep. Joe Ciresi.

Special education students in four local school districts will benefit from more than $255,000 in state grants aimed at helping to mitigate the impacts the coronavirus pandemic has had on those students.

The grants were announced in a press release from state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist. 

The grants are as follows: 

• Perkiomen Valley ($57,240); 
• Pottsgrove ($26,332); 
• Pottstown ($41,782); 
• Spring-Ford ($129,717).

“Students with special needs have been particularly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the changes we’ve all been forced to make because of it,” Ciresi said in the release. 

“The comfort of routine has been shelved, and that can be especially distressful for young minds that require an extra degree of support," Ciresi said. "I am not only grateful for this funding, but I am hopeful it will go a long way to reestablishing a sense of structure for those facing additional challenges in this upcoming school year.”

The funding for the area school districts comes from a pot of approximately $20 million announced earlier last month from Gov. Tom Wolf to help hundreds of local education agencies across the state. 

It includes $15 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund and $5 million from the Department of Education’s federal funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Among the ways the funding will provide support is by enhancing real-time instruction to bolster remote services and supports for students with complex needs, and lending services and support to students with disabilities who experienced a loss in skills and behavior due to mandatory school closures.