Today, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced that it will provide $84,264,890 in additional federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) funding to all eighty one public school districts. The funding can be used for four specific purposes including safety measures and personal protective equipment, hiring of school nurses, hiring staff to provide one on one instruction and support services for struggling students, and technology equipment to support online learning.

“Our teachers, nurses, and school staff have gone above and beyond to support students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “These funds are to be used to maintain and support their efforts to welcome additional students back safely for face to face instruction and meet the needs of those that are struggling both online and in the classroom.”
The approximately $84.3 in CRF funding will be allocated to districts per pupil beginning this week with an additional weighting applied to support students in poverty.  The funding may be used for expenditures incurred between July 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021 for the following activities as approved by the South Carolina General Assembly:

• School safety measures taken in response to COVID-19 including, but not limited to, the purchase of masks, gloves, wipes, hand sanitizer, face shields, cleaning solution, Plexiglass, and other cleaning equipment and supplies;
• Hire or contract for school nurse services for those schools that do not have a full-time school nurse;
• Tutoring, supplemental services, and support services to include services for unengaged students, interventionists, and after school learning extensions that prioritize face-to-face instruction focused on students with identified reading or math difficulties, and students with IEPs to address deficits resulting from COVID-19; and
• Technology purchases of devices and connectivity equipment to support online learning resulting from COVID-19.

Districts must report quarterly on the use of CRF funds to the SCDE.
The SCDE has previously allocated $194,680,042 in CARES Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to school districts that can be used for a broader range of COVID-19 related expenditures between March 13, 2020 to September 30, 2022. The SCDE has also purchased nearly $50 million in personal protective equipment and safety supplies for all school districts in the state.