Rose Tree Media School District Gets $493K For Pandemic Relief

MEDIA, PA — The Rose Tree Media School District has been allocated nearly half a million dollars to help provide a wide range of programs for students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding is part of a $2.2 billion allocation to schools across the state, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

These funds will be used to support programs as the virus continues to threaten school communities in the New Year.

That includes technological improvements for remote learning, food programs, and more.

The Rose Tree Media School District was allocated $493,360 through the initiative.

To determine how the funding is distributed throughout the state, the Pennsylvania Department of Education will look at the number of low income students in each school district.

State officials urged districts to focus the investments on the most vulnerable students and families, including students with disabilities, homeless students, foster care children, English language learners, and all those suffering from the effects of poverty, who the pandemic has struck the hardest.

The funds must be used by Sept. 2023. Other permitted uses aside from food service and technology purchases are sanitizing and cleaning supplies, summer and after-school programs, professional training, and mental health support, authorities said.

While the vaccine is on the way, cases of coronavirus continue to be widespread. Many school districts remain either shut down or in the midst of hybrid education programs which rely on remote learning platforms. Online learning presents its own unique challenges, and parents continue to struggle with childcare.

Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega praised the grants, but said that more was needed.

"We are thankful for the bipartisan effort to support school communities during this time, but PDE will be advocating for additional action from Congress in the days, weeks, and months ahead and I encourage educators to join us in raising their voices," he said.

School districts must submit applications online to receive their allocation.

With reporting by Justin Heinze