In a question asked by the reporter during the press hour on the use of the American Rescue Plan funding in schools, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “It’s always been the case that local school districts make decisions about what is needed for their schools. That’s always been the case, long before the President took office.”
We did distribute that money out to states, as he noted yesterday. Some have spent it. Others have not spent it. They’ve spent it in different ways.
“I would remind everyone that when the CDC puts out a range of mitigation measures, there are a range of steps schools could take. And different schools — some schools needed to redo their ventilation. Some schools decided to invest in more bus drivers or more space so that they could socially distance themselves. Different schools made different decisions,” She added.
Further adding to the statement, She said, “What is important for people to understand is that there is some of this funding that hasn’t been spent in certain states to put in place mitigation measures. Now is the time to do that.”