Alaska gets stern warning from US Education Department over federal COVID relief for schools

JUNEAU — The U.S. Department of Education this week designated Alaska as “a high-risk grantee” because it said the state failed to fairly distribute COVID-19 relief to school districts. The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act gave over $125 billion to schools across the nation to help cover pandemic-related costs. A March 27 letter from the U.S. Department of Education says that as a condition of receiving $359 million in federal COVID funding, Alaska is required to give $30 million to the highest-need schools in four districts. The Alaska Department of...