On Thursday, Aug. 5, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Pennsylvania’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them.
Pennsylvania’s plan details how the state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As schools and states gear up for the return to school, the Department released the Return to School Roadmap, which provides key resources and supports for students, parents, educators, and school communities to build excitement around returning to classrooms this school year and outlines how federal funding can support the safe and sustained return to in-person learning. ARP funds can be used to support the roadmap’s efforts.
Earlier this year, the Department distributed two thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states and the District of Columbia. The remaining third of the funding to states will be made available once state plans are approved. Pennsylvania is receiving $5 billion total in ARP ESSER funds, and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release of the final $1.6 billion. Additionally, the Department approved plans for Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, and New York. Today’s approvals mean a total of 22 ARP ESSER state plans have been approved since June.
The ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department, including Pennsylvania, show how states are using federal pandemic resources to support safe in-person instruction and meet the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students — with a focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic.
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