Weston Schools to Receive Emergency Relief Funds

The Weston Public School district will receive $228,541 in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds released this week.

According to State Senator Will Haskell, the funds are intended to help local school districts keep students and staff healthy and mitigate potential learning loss caused by the pandemic.

“Students have suffered tremendously over the last few months, and we know that many have fallen behind as classrooms transitioned from in-person to online,” said Senator Haskell.

“All the while,” said the senator, “school districts have been investing in PPE, improvements in air quality, remote learning technology, and other resources to maintain educational continuity.”

Connecticut received $492.43 million in the latest allotment of federal dollars, adding to Emergency Relief Funds already provided to the state as part of the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

90 percent of the funding is designated for municipal education. The remaining 10 percent will be used for activities at the state level.

The funds come with a set of approved uses. Those include coordinating an improved COVID-19 response, prevention and preparation efforts, the individual needs of certain schools, improving sanitation on school campuses, improving indoor air quality, reducing the risk of environmental health hazards, and others. They are also intended to help schools address learning loss, particularly among low-income students, those with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.