PHOENIX — With students and teachers now back in the classroom the ongoing battle to keep them there is ramping up.
Governor Doug Ducey on Tuesday rolled out a new program to make sure in-person learning continues in Arizona, even as COVID-19 cases continue to climb.
The governor, cited guidance from public health experts when it comes to the importance of keeping students on campus.
The “Open for Learning Recovery Benefit Program” provides students and families who qualify up to $7,000 if their school closes, even if that closure is just for one day.
Federal COVID relief money is funding the $10 million program and families earning at or below 350% of the federal poverty level can apply.
The money is intended to help with expenses like DES-approved childcare, school transportation, online tutoring, and school tuition.
The Governor’s Office confirmed to ABC15 the terms of this program are the same as those surrounding the governor’s private school voucher program rolled out last fall, promising up to $7,000 for parents if their child’s school mandated face coverings.
Still, the governor’s Director of Communications, C.J. Karamargin says this is a different program, solely intended to “provide parents options.”
