Georgia parents of children with special needs in public school have until Wednesday to apply for up to about $500 in financial aid stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money comes from $10 million that Gov. Brian Kemp set aside from his share of stimulus funds for education. The federal government has given Georgia more than $6 billion in K-12 funding in three rounds of stimulus since the first months of the pandemic last year.
Most of the money went to school districts via the Georgia Department of Education, but both that agency and the governor’s office were given a portion of the funding to disburse where they saw need.
There are more than 222,000 special needs students in Georgia. The family of any of those students enrolled in a public school at any point since March 13, 2020 when schools shifted online can apply online for a grant. The money can be used for documented costs for a variety of expenses, including speech therapy, tutoring, software, counseling and transportation.
Kemp mentioned that the money would be coming during his state of the state address in January, and said in a statement in May when the deadline was extended that the “reimbursements will help families overcome financial challenges faced during an unprecedented school year as we begin returning to normal in Georgia.”
Apply online through the Georgia Department of Education: https://www.gadoe.org/Pages/SEReimbursementForm.aspx
Check on application status: https://www.gadoe.org/Pages/SEReimbursementStatus.aspx
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