Approval Letter for Montana's ARP ESSER State Plan (August 5, 2021)

Summary

In this August 5, 2021, letter to Superintendent Elsie Arntzen of the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Secretary of Education approves Montana's ARP ESSER State plan. The approval is conditioned on Montana amending the plan to describe the evidence-based interventions it will fund with its reserved amounts, because Montana indicated that it has not yet identified its interventions. Montana must provide an update on its progress within 30 days of receipt of the letter. The letter says the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation, and it carries the signature text /s/ Miguel A. Cardona.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 15Bf0170B7
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 15Bf0170B7

Cite this document

“Approval Letter for Montana's ARP ESSER State Plan (August 5, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-15bf0170b7/, SHA-256 25a5d8867246d7368250cab34fda9b9e0ae89eb7684127ff9790fb3231caa25e.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                             August 5, 2021


The Honorable Elsie Arntzen
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Montana Office of Public Instruction
P.O. Box 202501
Helena, MT 59620-2501

Dear Superintendent Arntzen:

I am pleased to approve Montana’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, Montana’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 Montana’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, Montana indicated that it has not yet identified
its interventions. As a result, this approval is conditioned on Montana 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, Montana 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.

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,
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 Page 2 –
The Honorable Elsie Arntzen
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 Montana.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of Montana’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 Montana’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.

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Our copy: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-15bf0170b7.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov