Army Emergency Relief officials unveil enhanced home school assistance program due to COVID-19
Here’s a brief rundown of the enhancements:
• Assistance now covers traditional full-time home-school families as well as remote education due to COVID-19.
• Assistance is available for K-12 and undergraduate students.
• The $500 assistance cap has been removed; requests over $1,500 will be reviewed by AER headquarters.
• There is no restriction on the number of requests.
• Assistance will be provided in the form of a grant, zero-interest loan, or combination of both, depending on budget.
What does this mean for Army families?
Effective immediately, eligible Soldiers with dependent children in kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible for financial assistance to support costs associated with traditional home school and remote education. Examples of supporting materials include traditional supplies such as pens and paper as well as educational technology including computers, tablets, and software. The eligibility period for this special category of assistance is retroactive to March 1, 2020, and will continue until rescinded by AER headquarters.
Eligibility is extended to active-duty, retired, and medically retired Soldiers, survivors, U.S. Army Reserve (USAR), and Army National Guard (ARNG) Soldiers activated on Title 10 orders for 31 or more consecutive days. USAR and ARNG Soldiers activated on Title 10 or Title 32 orders in support of COVID-19 are also eligible, regardless of the length of activation.
The purpose of the program is to relieve stress on military families who have been thrust into a “hybrid combination of resident schooling and stay-at-home virtual schooling” or if given an option by the sanctioned and/or affiliated school district to enroll in “Full Time Virtual Schooling” and who must pay out of pocket for supplies and materials that the sanctioned and/or affiliated school cannot supply.
Parents who home school their children but who are not sanctioned or affiliated with a school district do not qualify for this assistance.
Parents who wish to apply for this assistance would need a letter from the sanctioned or affiliated school district stating that the student is in fact enrolled in the school, what option type the student is being educated under (Hybrid or Full Virtual), and a full school supply list and/or a syllabus of required technology items needed. Of those required items and supplies, please have the school break down which items the school provides and which items the parents must provide. AER can assist with the items that parents must provide.
Contact the AER office directly to apply and/or receive further guidance. Each case will be based on its own merits as to whether it’s processed as a loan, grant or a combination of loan and grant.
At Fort Drum, call (315) 772-6560 / 6555 for more information.
(Army Emergency Relief)