The Environmental Protection Agency presents the Iola School District with a check for more than $600,000 to purchase electric school buses.

 The grant comes as part of the EPA's 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program. The program is designed to help school districts replace existing school buses with zero-transmission vehicles in an effort to reduce harmful health conditions such as asthma that have been linked to vehicle emissions.

Iola Unified School District Operations Director Aaron Cole says the grant funds will help diversify USD 257's bus fleet and bring new technology to Iola schools.