XPost: soc.culture.puerto-rico, alt.politics.trump, sac.politics
XPost: alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.education
From: democrat-criminals@mail.house.gov

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-gets-900m-education-funds- previously-restricted-trump-admi-rcna405?icid=recommended

Puerto Rico has been granted immediate access to $912 million in federal
funds that had not been available to students in public and private
schools on the island as a result of restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced Monday.

“The Department is committed to partnering with and supporting Puerto Rico
in the efficient and effective use of department funds to serve Puerto
Rico’s students, including to safely reopen schools and maximize in-person instructional time," Cardona said in a statement.

The new funds come less than two weeks after Puerto Rico reopened dozens
of public and private schools for the first time since the Covid-19
pandemic began.

The aid was awarded after Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi sent a letter
to Cardona on March 5 requesting immediate access to previously approved
aid "in order to provide the necessary resources for the students of
Puerto Rico," Pierluisi said in a statement.

"Our students have endured a lot, since the hurricanes from 2017 to
earthquakes and the Covid-19 pandemic, and they deserve to go back to
normal. These resources will provide the necessary funds to satisfy the
needs of our students on the island," Pierluisi said in Spanish. "On
behalf of our children, teachers, and the parents of Puerto Rico, I thank Secretary Miguel Cardona for his commitment to supporting Puerto Rico and President Biden for quickly granting Puerto Rico access to these federal funds."

These funds include $390 million approved under the CARES Act as a result
of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as additional aid from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and the Governor’s Emergency
Education Relief Fund.

They also include all fiscal year 2019 department program grant funds,
totaling $522 million, including funds under Title I, Part A of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, and Part B of
the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

The U.S. Department of Education will work alongside local officials to determine how the money can be used to address the academic, social,
emotional and mental health needs of students in the U.S. territory,
according to a spokeswoman for Republican Del. Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico's nonvoting member of Congress.

Earlier this month, 96 of Puerto Rico’s 858 public schools reopened with restrictions. For now, only kindergarteners, special education students
and children in first, second, third and 12th grades are allowed to return
to school. They attend in-person classes only twice a week and are
dismissed before noon.

Pierluisi also allowed children in Head Start programs to return to class.

Next steps amid new leadership
The release of federal funds marks a step forward as the Puerto Rican government, under new leadership, tries to build a new relationship with President Joe Biden's administration — and is hopeful that funding delays
that were common under former President Donald Trump's administration will dissipate.

In 2019, the Trump administration imposed restrictions limiting Puerto
Rico's ability to access federal funds allocated to the island's education system, citing a history of mismanagement within the Puerto Rico
Department of Education. The notice of the restrictions was issued weeks
before the arrest of former Education Secretary Julia Keleher, who
allegedly participated in a fraud scheme involving $15.5 million in
federal funding between 2017 and 2019.

It's unclear whether Cardona will be able to lift some of those
restrictions, some of which require the bankrupt island to hire a third-
party agency to manage certain federal funds.

But Cardona told Puerto Rico's national newspaper, El Nuevo Día, that he
has "a strong team that is working closely, reviewing the requirements."

"We are confident in our relationship with Puerto Rico, that we are
confident that what our students need right now is support," said Cardona,
one of Biden's Latino Cabinet members, who is of Puerto Rican heritage.
"They can’t wait any longer. They can’t continue to talk about reopening schools without providing the support they need."



--
"LOCKDOWN", left-wing COVID fearmongering. 95% of COVID infections
recover with no after effects.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Donald J. Trump, cheated out of a second term by fraudulent "mail-in"
ballots. Report voter fraud: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)