WASHINGTON– One year after the American Rescue Plan became law, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II said Missouri’s 5th Congressional District – including Ray County – has received $15,027,887 to date from the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. District schools and libraries that have received funding from the program include the Lawson School District, $206,000; Ray County Library, $2,552; and Richmond School District, $165,097. The federal program aims to help schools and libraries ensure students can connect to the internet at home, allowing them to take advantage of online learning. Known as the “homework gap,” students who lack access to the internet at home often fall behind their peers as curricula and educational opportunities rely more on the ability to conduct online research and connect to the web. “The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare what was already true – that with educational tools, homework and opportunities increasingly online, kids without…