State board OKs 5 new COVID-related projects for schools, including summer career program

North Carolina will allocate $36 million toward another summer learning program for the state’s “at-risk” students.

It'll focus on academic enrichment and experiential learning with a career-focused bent, according to the state. School districts will soon be able to apply for the funds, following a State board of Education vote approving the program Thursday.

The program is among the latest round of programs approved at the state-level related to addressing COVID-19's impact on schools.​

North Carolina received $3.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan for K-12 education.

The Department of Public Instruction received 10% of that, about $360.2 million. The state General Assembly determines how the funds will be spent. The department writes the policies to implement those programs approved by the General Assembly, and the State Board of Education approves them. The funds have largely gone to set up specific programs and services that schools can apply to use.

On Thursday, the board approved the latest round of proposals for the state’s portion of the money.

They include:

• $36 million for a Summer Career Accelerator program. Schools can use this to provide extra in-person instruction and enrichment activities for students who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or who are “at risk” of failing classes or experiencing other negative academic outcomes.
• $36 million for before-school and after-school math programs for students in 4th through 8th grades, designed to address COVID-19 learning disruptions
• $7.3 million for schools to further investigate what happened to students who disappeared from school during the pandemic. School officials often try to locate those students already, and the funds will help them delve further into those investigations, as many schools experienced losing more students during the pandemic. Most of the state’s school districts and charter schools qualify for this fund, though 152 schools and districts reported no missing students to the state.
• $5 million for school turnaround efforts at 68 schools in 30 districts. The schools are Title I schools and among the 5% lowest-performing schools in the state. The funds allow for flexible plans to improve the schools and must be used to address the pandemic’s negative impacts.
• $2.5 million for middle school reading programs at selected schools, supporting students who are reading below grade level
• $400,000 for career and technical education in the hospitality sector

The State Board of Education has approved other policies in recent months, and they can be found here.

CORRECTION: The North Carolina General Assembly appropriates the American Rescue Plan funds the state receives. A previous version of this article omitted the General Assembly's involvement.