The Secretary of Education to the Honorable Christina Grant — District of Columbia (July 7, 2021)

Summary

A July 7, 2021 letter on Secretary of Education letterhead to Christina Grant, State Superintendent of Education, Office of the State Superintendent of Education, approving the District of Columbia's ARP ESSER State plan. It states that the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. The letter says the District of Columbia indicated that it has not yet identified its interventions for the reservation under section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act, so the approval is conditioned on amending the plan, with an update on progress within 30 days of receipt of the letter. It also asks for URLs to the LEA plans through the State mailbox.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 637F03Cf5D
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 637F03Cf5D

Cite this document

“The Secretary of Education to the Honorable Christina Grant — District of Columbia (July 7, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-637f03cf5d/, SHA-256 1b7869ed03bceff871a8ea5e5d5033ffd54e8c48618825c47cefbf746110e7eb.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                              July 7, 2021


The Honorable Christina Grant
State Superintendent of Education
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
1050 First Street, N.E., Third Floor
Washington, DC 20002

Dear State Superintendent Grant:

I am pleased to approve the District of Columbia’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
(COVID19), particularly those students most impacted by the pandemic.

Except as described below, the District of Columbia’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 the District of Columbia’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 section 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, the District of Columbia indicated that it has not yet identified its
interventions for this reservation. As a result, this approval is conditioned on the District of
Columbia 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, the District
of Columbia 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 Page 2 –
The Honorable Christina Grant
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 DistrictOfColumbia.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of the District of Columbia’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 the District of Columbia’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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Original: www.ed.gov