Education Dept. Rule Limits How Schools Can Spend Vital Aid Money
In a new rule announced Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos signaled she is standing firm on her intention to reroute millions of dollars in coronavirus aid money to K-12 private school students. The CARES Act rescue package included more than $13 billion to help public schools cover pandemic-related costs.
The move comes nearly two months after the Education Department issued controversial guidance, suggesting that private schools should benefit from a representative share of the emergency aid. Lawmakers from both parties countered that the aid was intended to be distributed based on how many vulnerable, low-income students a district serves.
While that guidance was nonbinding, Thursday's rule is enforceable by law.
"The CARES Act is a special, pandemic-related appropriation to benefit all American students, teachers, and families impacted by coronavirus," DeVos said in a statement. "There is nothing in the law Congress passed that would allow districts to discriminate against children and teachers based on private school attendance and employment."
The new rule gives school districts two choices about how to spend their aid money CONTINUE READING: Audio: Education Dept. Rule Limits How Schools Can Spend Vital Aid Money | 89.3 KPCC
