Local School Systems to Help Serve Students with Disabilities

Local school systems will be receiving additional funding from the Georgia Department of Education.

The Georgia Department of Education is allocating $6 million to school districts to help them serve students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods recommended the funding allocations, which were approved by the State Board of Education.

The allocation is a combination of federal funds from the CARES Act (the COVID-19 stimulus bill) and IDEA funds for supplemental relief.

The effects of the pandemic – both the school closures in the spring and the virtual learning options districts are offering this fall – mean some districts are facing additional costs related to special education services, such as offering therapies remotely, which may require additional resources.

This funding will help to offset the effects of these increased costs, along with the impact of revenue decreases due to COVID-19, so that districts can offer appropriate services to students who need them.

Superintendent Woods said the funds will be specifically directed, on a district-by-district level, toward safeguarding access and opportunity for students who require special education services.

The funds are a formula grant; the amount allocated to each school district was based on the amount of funding that districts received from the IDEA 611 grant – an annual federal grant all states receive to support special education and related services – in the current fiscal year.