SC gets $15m to boost remote learning for rural students

The South Carolina Department of Education has received a $15 million grant from the federal government to expand services to students without internet access, officials said Wednesday.

The money, set aside by the federal CARES Act, will be used, in part, to distribute educational materials to students without internet access using a system known as “datacasting,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Education.

Datacasting is when a TV or radio tower is modified to allow the tower to broadcast encrypted data, which can be downloaded by computers and smart devices, according to SCETV, which is working on a datacasting pilot project.

“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 environment,” Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in a separate statement.

The federal funds will help improve remote and virtual learning, which many students will utilize in the upcoming school year, according to the S.C. department’s press release.

The Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant was awarded to states that had “innovative” ideas to improve schooling as the school year approaches under a shroud of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the federal news release.

“This grant will help states adapt and overcome challenges to strengthen education both now and for the longer term,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in the release.

South Carolina was one of 11 states that received funding through the program. The states were chosen, in part, because they had some of the highest “coronavirus burden,” according to the news release.

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:21 PM with the headline "SC gets $15m to boost remote learning for rural students."