Pearl River County School district to move forward with grant for 4,000 Chromebooks

The Pearl River County school board of trustees held an special called meeting on Thursday afternoon to address two items.

The first was to approve an administrative day of pay for full time employees of the district for Monday, August 24, when the district was out of class for Hurricane Marco that at the time was a threat to the area.

The second item was to provide information to the board about a grant for funding through the Mississippi Department of Education CARES Act Equity in Distance Learning Act. This act has provided $150 million to school districts to pay for computer devices for students and teachers, software to deliver instruction, enhanced internet connectivity and professional development for digital teaching and learning.

Superintendent Alan Lumpkin said the grant does require some matching funds and those funds must be committed up front.

T.J. Burleson (pictured above), Director of Operations for the school district, said the grant application has a deadline of September 1, 2020. Burleson said the district