周一，两名国会议员指责南卡罗来纳州利用新冠肺炎的救济金创建了一个“代金券计划”。
在一个信众议院教育和劳工委员会主席、弗吉尼亚州众议员鲍比·斯科特(Bobby Scott)和冠状病毒危机特别小组委员会主席、南卡罗来纳州众议员詹姆斯·克莱伯恩(James Clyburn)写道，该“计划”可能违反《关爱法案》的文本和教育部门的指导。
“我们写信是关于南卡罗来纳州使用州长紧急教育救济(GEER)基金来发展代金券计划。这一计划似乎违反了冠状病毒援助、救济和经济安全法以及国务院的相关指导方针，”信中说。
根据这封信，南卡罗来纳州州长办公室开发了一个项目，父母可以使用该州州长紧急教育救济(或GEER)基金的3200万美元申请“每个学生最多6500美元”的赠款。根据这封信，补助金一旦发放，将被存入“家长控制的账户，用于支付私立学校的学费。”
南卡罗来纳州州长办公室在一份声明中说:“为了有资格获得国家助学贷款，学生必须来自调整后总收入为联邦贫困线300%或更低的家庭。”声明当它在7月宣布拨款计划时。它表示，一次性赠款可用于“帮助或补贴南卡罗来纳州参与私立、教区或独立学校的合格学生的2020-21年学费”。
教育部没有立即回复置评请求。
2020年5月19日，教育部长贝琪·德沃斯在白宫东厅的内阁会议上倾听。
七月，一直倡导择校的德沃斯发微博为了支持南卡罗来纳州州长亨利·麦克马斯特，他写道:“今天在南卡罗来纳州，州长@亨利·麦克马斯特知道学生需要能够在今年秋天安全返回学校，父母需要选择来实现这一点。由于他的领导，3200万美元的#CARESAct基金将在今年秋天流向低收入的供应链家庭，以找到合适的人选。”
然而，GEER的资金只能用于对当地教育机构和高等教育机构的补助，这些机构和机构“受到的影响最大”冠状病毒”以及“州长认为对向学生提供特定紧急教育服务至关重要的其他高等教育机构、地方教育机构或教育相关实体”。
“国家外汇管理局的资助项目不向地方教育机构、高等教育机构或其他与教育相关的实体提供资助;相反，代金券是直接颁发给父母的，”信中说，并补充了具体的部门指导说「总督可否利用GEER基金，直接向学生或教师颁发奖学金、助学金或助学金?不，不直接...总督不得将GEER基金授予个人。”
当国家外汇管理局的拨款宣布时，麦克马斯特在一份声明中说:“我们州的私立学校为50，000多名儿童提供基本教育。”
“他们让父母能够选择他们认为最适合孩子独特需求的教育环境和教学类型。这些学生中有很大一部分来自工作或低收入家庭，在最好的经济条件下，他们几乎无法省吃俭用，凑足钱支付孩子的学费，”他说。
两名民主党众议院议员要求德沃斯审查南卡罗来纳州的拨款计划。
Democrats ask DeVos to review South Carolina grant program that uses COVID-19 relief funds
Two members of Congress on Monday accused South Carolina of creating a "voucher scheme" using COVID-19 relief money.
In aletterto Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, and the chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, wrote that the "scheme" may violate the text of the CARES Act and the Education Department's guidance.
"We write regarding South Carolina's use of Governor Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to develop a voucher scheme. This scheme appears to violate the plain text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) as well as the Department's related guidance," the letter said.
According to the letter, the South Carolina governor's office developed a program where parents can apply for grants "of up to $6,500 per student" using $32 million of the state's Governor Emergency Education Relief (or GEER) funds. According to the letter, the grants, once awarded, will be put into "parent-controlled accounts for tuition payments to private schools."
"To be eligible for SAFE Grants, a student must be from a household with an adjusted gross income of 300% or less of the federal poverty level," the South Carolina governor's office said in astatementwhen it announced the grant program in July. It said the one-time grants could be used to "help or subsidize the 2020-21 tuition for eligible students at participating private, parochial or independent schools in South Carolina."
The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos listens during a cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House, May 19, 2020.
In July, DeVos -- who has long advocated for school choice --tweetedin support of the South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, writing, "In SC today with Governor @henrymcmaster who knows students need to be able to safely return to school this fall and parents need options to make that happen. Thanks to his leadership, $32M in #CARESAct funds will go to low-income SC families to find the right fit this fall."
However, GEER funding can only be used for grants for local education agencies and institutions of higher education "that have been most significantly impacted bycoronavirus," as well as "other IHEs, LEAs, or education related entities that the governor deems essential for carrying out specified emergency educational services to students," according to Monday's letter.
"The SAFE grant program does not award grants to LEAs, IHEs, or other education related entities; rather, vouchers are awarded directly to parents," the letter said, adding that specific department guidancesays, "May the Governor use GEER funds to award scholarships, microgrants or financial aid directly to students or teachers? No, not directly ... A Governor is prohibited from awarding GEER funds to individuals."
When the SAFE grant was announced, McMaster said in a statement: "Private schools in our state provide an essential education to over 50,000 children."
"They provide parents the ability to choose the type of education environment and instruction they feel best suits their child's unique needs. And a large number of these students come from working or low-income families who -- in the best economy -- are barely able to scrimp and scrape together just enough money to pay their child's tuition," he said.
The two Democratic House members have asked DeVos to review South Carolina's grant program.
