May 04, 2021
In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. government has distributed billions of dollars in relief funds to help schools manage the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have a lot of flexibility in how these federal funds can be used, and many schools are investing in campus safety improvements to prepare for a safe return to in-person learning.
In this post, we’ll go over what funds schools can expect to receive, how relief money can be used, and how video security solutions like Rhombus can help schools make in-person learning safer with COVID-19 prevention features and long-term campus safety tools.
The most recent stimulus plan is the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP), passed in March 2021. This plan provides K-12 schools with $129 billion in relief funds and college and universities with a separate $40 billion. This follows the CARES Act and CRRSA Act of 2020, which together distributed around $67.8 billion.
In total, the stimulus bills and relief programs provide about $4000 per student, though the exact amount varies greatly from district to district. States and districts that serve low-income students are receiving more funding per student.
Schools have a lot of freedom in how they can use relief funding. Restrictions include:
Other than those restrictions, schools are free to allocate funds at their own discretion. Because school districts have until late 2024 to spend the relief money, administrators have enough time to be thoughtful and deliberate in how they use the funds.
Many schools are using relief funds to prepare for a safe return to in-person learning on campus. The good news is schools have plenty of flexibility in deciding how to go about this. The challenge is, how do you strike a balance between using the funds to address immediate needs, and providing long-term value to your school, students, and faculty?
For many schools, Rhombus' video security solution is an effective two-pronged approach to this challenge. Rhombus provides smart security cameras with a unified platform that's ideal for schools who want a system that's powerful, but easy to use.
With Rhombus, you can support your school's short and long-term needs with:
Above all, Rhombus is dedicated to the safety of your students, teachers, and staff. We're here to help you get through the challenges of today to help you thrive tomorrow.
Rhombus provides AI-enhanced features that help you prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep your students, teachers, and staff safe. These features include:
Rhombus helps you be proactive about school security and COVID-19 prevention by monitoring your environments 24/7 and sending real-time notifications to any device.
You can also leverage Rhombus' open platform to seamlessly integrate with your preferred business systems—including best-in-class access control solutions.
Rhombus is dedicated to supporting you not only now, but also as your school’s needs evolve over time. As an enterprise cloud solution, Rhombus features future-proof system architecture to provide long-term campus safety in a simple, secure, and cost-effective approach. Here's how:
The past year has been filled with unprecedented challenges for schools and making up for it will take time. Federal relief funding is available until 2024 and the funds can help jump-start school recovery and accelerate necessary upgrades.
If you're interested in using Rhombus to help secure your school and make in-person learning safer, request a free trial or reach out to sales@rhombussystems.com. The Rhombus team is dedicated to supporting schools and making teachers students, and staff safer every day.
For more on choosing a school video security solution, read: How to Choose the Right Video Surveillance System for Education.
References:
See why school districts, cities, and Fortune 500 companies use Rhombus.
Start Trial