Two local school districts are set to receive grants from Business Oregon to help boost students’ access to broadband internet.

Umatilla School District will receive $120,879 in funds to support online learning, and Morrow County School District will receive $119,598 to bring internet access to more students in the district.

Both districts will be starting their school year in an online-only format as Umatilla and Morrow counties remain well above the levels of new COVID-19 cases to gain approval for in-person learning.

“Learning will look different as we fight the spread of COVID-19,” Business Oregon Director Chris Cummings said in a news release. “Whether there is access to buildings or not, students throughout Oregon will certainly need access to online resources and to engage with their teachers and classmates.”

According to the news release, schools around the state will receive a total of $1.61 million in grants as part of the CARES Act stimulus funding from the federal government sent to the states.

Umatilla School District will have Chromebooks available for students to pick up through Aug. 22. Students will be mailed a copy of their schedule and information about their teachers, and are asked to log in to their device sometime between Aug. 24-28 to make sure it is working properly and review welcome messages about what to expect when school begins.