FLINT, Mich. (AP) — U.S. education officials have announced a $480,000 grant to help Flint Community Schools as the public district grapples with problems associated with the city’s lead-contaminated drinking water crisis.
The money will support the hiring of attendance specialists, counselors and psychologists.
The Flint Journal reports that Education Secretary John King Jr. told students, guardians and others Friday that the city’s challenges are “emblematic of a broader crisis,” which is lack of investment in infrastructure and education.
The U.S. House approved a plan last week to provide $170 million to help Flint rebuild its water system. That followed Senate action two weeks earlier.
The water supply was contaminated after water from the Flint River wasn’t treated to reduce corrosiveness. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems in children.
