Dear Commissioner Blomstedt — ARP ESSER State Plan, Nebraska (October 14, 2021)

Summary

An October 14, 2021 letter on Secretary of Education letterhead to Matt Blomstedt, Commissioner of Education at the Nebraska Department of Education, approving Nebraska's American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State plan. It states that the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. It says the approval is conditioned on Nebraska amending its plan to describe evidence-based interventions to address the academic impact of lost instructional time, with an update on progress within 30 days of receipt of the letter. It also states that approval is not a determination that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements.

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                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                             WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                            October 14, 2021


The Honorable Matt Blomstedt
Commissioner of Education
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987

Dear Commissioner Blomstedt:

I am pleased to approve Nebraska’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; 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, Nebraska’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 Nebraska’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) of the ARP Act on evidence-based interventions
to address the academic impact of lost instructional time 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, Nebraska indicated that it has not yet identified its interventions.
As a result, this approval is conditioned on Nebraska amending its ARP ESSER State plan to
provide the requisite descriptions to meet the requirements in section D.1.i-iii of the ARP ESSER
State plan template. In addition, Nebraska must provide an update on its progress 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
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
Page 2 – The Honorable Matt Blomstedt


services; and (b) use of ARP ESSER funds. Please submit the URL or URLs to the Department
via email to your State mailbox at Nebraska.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of Nebraska’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 Nebraska’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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