Piedmont Tech Distributing CARES Act Payments to More Than 3,600 Students

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) officials are pleased to broadcast some exceedingly good news. Emergency relief checks are on the way to an estimated 3,643 PTC students this week, courtesy of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The legislation made more than $6 billion available nationwide to institutions of higher education, including PTC, to disburse to students enrolled during the Spring semester.

“The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the larger CARES Act, is designed to help cover college students’ expenses related to circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Paige Childs, PTC vice president for business, finance & facilities management. “Students can use the money to pay for expenses like course materials, technology, food, housing, healthcare and child care.”

In total, PTC is disbursing $1.7 million in emergency cash grants to its students, a welcome bit of news for many who wondered how they were going to make ends meet as home isolation policies continue.

“Many college students depend on jobs that are now either gone or furloughed for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 hasn’t just presented a change in how classes are delivered. It’s been a major disruption to students’ daily lives and livelihoods,” said Josh Black, PTC vice president for student affairs and communication. “We are extremely grateful that this critical assistance has been made available so quickly. Our students should receive the funds within the next few days.”

“The way our students are handling this situation has really been remarkable,” said Ray Brooks, president of PTC. “We are going to do everything we can to take care of them during this challenging time.”

For more information, please visit www.ptc.edu/cares.