Dear Superintendent Jenner — ARP ESSER State Plan, Indiana (August 12, 2021)

Summary

A letter dated August 12, 2021 from the Secretary of Education to Secretary Katie Jenner of the Indiana Department of Education approving Indiana's American Rescue Plan ESSER State plan and releasing the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. The approval is conditioned on Indiana amending its plan to describe the evidence-based interventions it will use to address the academic impact of lost instructional time, summer learning and enrichment, and afterschool programs, because it had not yet identified them. Indiana must report its progress within 30 days. The letter notes that the State's public comment period would not close until September 5, 2021 and asks for URLs for required data and local plans.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 022E9894A9
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 022E9894A9

Cite this document

“Dear Superintendent Jenner — ARP ESSER State Plan, Indiana (August 12, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-022e9894a9/, SHA-256 af09a6eb2809a3b26c20e99303224ae2d0531a1bf79b45975c75c4f2a61b3b09.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                            August 12, 2021


The Honorable Katie Jenner
Secretary of Education
Indiana Department of Education
South Tower, Suite 600
115 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Dear Superintendent Jenner:

I am pleased to approve Indiana’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State plan. This plan, together with the unprecedented funding
available under ARP ESSER, will help ensure that districts and schools in your State can
continue to reopen safely; support sustained access to in-person instruction throughout the
summer and into next school year; and address the social, emotional, mental health, and
academic needs of students due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19),
particularly those students most impacted by the pandemic.

Except as described below, Indiana’s plan is consistent with all ARP ESSER statutory and
regulatory requirements and addresses all of the ARP ESSER State plan elements. This letter,
along with Indiana’s approved ARP ESSER State plan, will be posted on the U.S. Department of
Education’s (Department’s) website, and the Department will immediately release the remaining
one-third of your State’s ARP ESSER allocation for your use.

In its ARP ESSER State plan, a State educational agency (SEA) must describe how it will use
the funds it reserves under sections 2001(f)(1)-(3) of the ARP Act on evidence-based
interventions to address: (1) the academic impact of lost instructional time, (2) summer learning
and enrichment programs, and (3) comprehensive afterschool programs; and must describe how
the interventions it identifies will address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain
groups of students. In its ARP ESSER State plan, Indiana indicated that it has not yet identified
its interventions. As a result, this approval is conditioned on Indiana amending its ARP ESSER
State plan to provide the requisite descriptions to meet the requirements in section D.1.i-iii,
D.2.i-iii, and D.3.i-iii of the ARP ESSER State plan template. In addition, Indiana must provide
an update on its progress in selecting evidence-based interventions to meet these requirements
within 30 days of receipt of this letter, and additional updates as required by the Department.
Finally, Indiana indicated that its public comment period will not close until September 5, 2021,
and the public comments it receives will help inform its selection of evidence-based
interventions. Indiana should also take into consideration any public comments it receives on
other sections of its ARP ESSER State plan template and amend those sections as appropriate.
As part of the ARP ESSER State plan, each State assured that it would provide the
Department the URLs for information related to ARP ESSER requirements. First, by June 21,
Page 2 – The Honorable Katie Jenner
2021, each State was required to post publicly on its website, for the most recent time period
available, data on mode of instruction and enrollment for all students, disaggregated by student
subgroups. The State assured that it would provide to the Department the URL(s) where the
public can readily find this data. The Department will follow up separately with you regarding
this requirement, if necessary. Second, your State assured that it would provide to the
Department the URL(s) for the SEA and/or local educational agency (LEA) websites where the
public can find the LEA plans for: (a) the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of
services; and (b) use of ARP ESSER funds. Please submit the URL or URLs to the Department
via email to your State mailbox at Indiana.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of Indiana’s ARP ESSER State plan is not a determination that all
the information included in the State plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements,
including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is Indiana’s
responsibility to comply with these civil rights requirements.

The Department is committed to working in partnership with your State so that your ARP
ESSER funds are quickly put to work to ensure students have sustained access to in-person
instruction as well as the comprehensive supports they need to recover fully from the impacts of
the COVID-19 pandemic. As you implement this plan, we expect you to continue meaningfully
engaging with stakeholders and the public and revising your plan, as necessary, to best meet the
needs of students, parents, and educators. Ongoing engagement with all stakeholders is vital to
ensuring that implementation of your plan is transparent, effective, equitable, inclusive, and best
meets the needs of your State. The thoughtful, evidence-based, and timely use of ARP ESSER
funds will have a lasting impact on our Nation’s schools and help to address the inequities in
resources, services, and opportunities available to our students.


                                      Sincerely,

                                      /s/

                                      Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.

File and source

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Size: 139,087 bytes
SHA-256: af09a6eb2809a3b26c20e99303224ae2d0531a1bf79b45975c75c4f2a61b3b09
Our copy: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-022e9894a9.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov