Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Secretary DeVos Announces New Federal Assistance for the Education of Displaced Students

  • 08/14/18

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today a total of approximately $359.8 million in new federal assistance for 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students program (Emergency Impact Aid). The program assists with the cost of educating students displaced by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria or the 2017 California wildfires.

"The impact of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires goes beyond the disaster area. The effects are felt nationwide, especially in those communities that take in displaced students and families," said Secretary DeVos. "This additional funding will ensure schools serving displaced students are able to meet their unique needs under such difficult circumstances."

Under the Emergency Impact Aid program, the Department is authorized to award funds to eligible state educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to make payments to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) and eligible Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools for the cost of educating during the 2017-2018 school year public and non-public school students displaced by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, or the 2017 California wildfires.

These awards were made based on the quarterly counts of displaced students that are included in the SEA applications for Emergency Impact Aid. The statute specifies that the annual per-pupil amounts shall be the sum of $9,000 for each displaced student who is an English learner, $10,000 for each displaced student who is a child with a disability; and $8,500 for each student who is not reported as a child with a disability or an English learner.

Congress appropriated a combined amount of approximately $2.5 billion for Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (Restart) and Emergency Impact Aid programs. The amounts awarded under each program are based on demand and specific data received from eligible applicants. The Department anticipates granting a second round of Emergency Impact Aid awards in the coming weeks which will include awards for both California and Puerto Rico.

To see a list of the 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands and amount of rewards they received, go here.

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • University of Pittsburgh to Build New Residence Hall

    The Board of Trustees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall for first-year students, according to university news.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.