Flint Schools are Receiving Help From a Federal Grant

U.S. education officials announced that Flint schools are receiving help from a federal grant.

A $480,000 grant will help the Flint Community Schools hire attendance specialists, counselors, and psychologists. The district is grappling with ongoing problems that are the result of the lead contamination in drinking water.

According to Education Secretary John King Jr, Flint’s challenges are “emblematic of a broader crisis, which is an unwillingness to invest in the common good.”

“And you see that in the lack of investment in infrastructure, and you see that in the lack of investment in education,” he said while speaking in Flint with students, guardians and others.

Flint switched from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River to save money when it was under state control in 2014. The river water was not treated properly, and lead leached from aging pipes.

The city has since switched back to Detroit’s water system, and is now coping with resulting learning disabilities and problems in children.

In addition to the grant, the House of Representatives approved $170 million to help Flint rebuild the water system, following Senate action two weeks previously.