Noem sends $75 million of federal coronavirus aid to schools

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has announced that she will send $75 million of federal coronavirus relief funds to schools. The Republican governor is allotting public and private schools $500 per student out of the $1.25 billion in federal funding the state received for coronavirus relief. South Dakota elementary and high schools had already received $41 million in federal funding to respond to the pandemic. The governor has pushed schools to reopen and discouraged requirements for students to wear masks. The state has reported 195 COVID-19 cases among students and staff in public schools.