Fulton/Hancock/McDonough/Schuyler Regional Office of Education will get a $600,000 investment to buy equipment that includes dedicated classrooms, mobile classrooms and small-setting huddle rooms.
The facilities will also be used for mental health and substance abuse prevention education and counseling at seven locations that will reach 2,500 people.
USDA is providing the grants to increase education access and well-being efforts to rural students "regardless of their ability to be in a physical classroom," according to U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.
"Young parents can continue their education without interruption. Lifelong learners can take a remote course without driving an hour to a community college campus, and our grade school children can still participate in class despite outside factors," she said.
Other recipients are:
- Vermillion Association for Special Education, $73,000 for interactive video conferencing equipment.
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, $171,000 to provide students with videoconferencing equipment and interactive software.
- Centralia school district, $585,000 for distance-learning equipment to provide mental health and substance abuse prevention programs, counseling, and expand education opportunities such as dual credit courses.
- Flanagan Cornell school district, $65,000 to buy video conferencing equipment so instructors can teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics courses.
- Illinois Valley Community College, $890,000 for distance-learning equipment that features "people plus content" dedicated classrooms, mobile classrooms and small-setting huddle rooms. Mental health and substance abuse professionals at Illinois Community College in LaSalle County will deliver preventative education and counseling to 11 locations.
- Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, $719,000 for hub/end user sites to expand education opportunities by sharing classes, providing dual credit courses to high schools, and other educational activities to include substance abuse prevention education.
Congress has approved $60 million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine funding in this fiscal year.
©2023 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
