Rural Illinois Education Gets $3.5M Boost for Remote Learning and Telehealth

By Andi Anderson

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted seven Distance Learning and Telehealth Awards totaling $3.5 million to Illinois Education Systems. These awards aim to provide secure hub sites and enable remote learning opportunities for more than 55,000 rural students in the state.

USDA State Director Betsy Dirksen Londrigan highlighted the commitment of President Biden to ensuring educational access for all students. Londrigan emphasized the importance of robust remote learning platforms, particularly highlighted by the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She stressed the significance of ensuring education accessibility regardless of physical classroom limitations, benefitting various groups, from young parents pursuing education to lifelong learners seeking remote courses without long commutes.

The Illinois Education Recipients and their respective grants include: • Vermillion Association for Special Education: $73,000 grant to facilitate special education services like mental health and speech therapy across 11 locations, benefiting approximately 6,500 students.

• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine: $171,000 grant to offer EMS education courses to 16 locations, benefitting over 27,500 students through videoconferencing equipment and interactive software.
• Centralia High School District: A $585,000 investment to expand education opportunities, including mental health and substance abuse prevention programs, counseling, and dual credit courses for over 4,400 students across 11 different locations.
• Flanagan Cornell Unit 74: $65,000 investment to provide Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses to 120 students at one location through video conferencing equipment.
• Illinois Valley Community College District 513: A $890,000 grant to procure distance learning equipment and offer mental health and substance abuse education and counseling to 9,800 individuals across 11 locations.
• Illinois Eastern Community Colleges District 529: Received a $719,000 grant to facilitate expanded education opportunities, including dual credit courses and substance abuse prevention education, benefitting over 6,500 individuals.
• Fulton Hancock McDonough/Schuyler Regional Office of Education: A $600,000 investment to procure equipment for delivering mental health education to seven locations, benefiting over 2,500 individuals.

These investments aim to enhance educational access, especially in rural areas, by leveraging technology and resources for a diverse range of educational services and programs.

Photo Credit: usda