More corona virus relief money is coming to South Carolina.

The SC Department of Education has received a $15,049,608 Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant as part of the Corona virus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

"We need this for our underserved, particularly the elderly and children who have no access to the internet," virtual learning advocate and Nephron Pharmaceuticals CEO Lou Kennedy of Lexington said.

 "Any money to assist this effort is better than none, so let’s get started."

Congress set aside 1% of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for grants to states with the highest corona virus burden.

"The emergency remote learning that took place as a result of COVID-19 school closures brought to light disparities in our school communities that made student learning difficult in the pandemic," said State Superintendent Molly Spearman.

South Carolina's education plan aims to:
⦁ Increase availability of remote learning resources to students and teachers in areas of SC that lack broadband access.
⦁ Improve education resources for specific, identified gaps by developing and curating engaging, high-quality content.
⦁ Increase teacher experience, confidence, and proficiency with remote learning technology and resources.
⦁ Improve communication between families, teachers, and schools to support remote learning.

The SCDE is partnering with the SC Education Oversight Committee, SC ETV and private industry to handle grant activities. 

Lexington County's 5 school districts will be able to access the online classes via VirtualSC, said SCDE spokesperson Ryan Brown.