Dear Commissioner Schwinn — ARP ESSER State Plan, Tennessee (July 15, 2021)

Summary

Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona's July 15, 2021 letter to Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn approves the state's ARP ESSER plan and finds it consistent with all ARP ESSER statutory and regulatory requirements. The Department will post the letter and plan and immediately release the remaining one-third of Tennessee's allocation. Tennessee is reminded to send URLs for its public data on mode of instruction and enrollment, which States were to post by June 21, 2021, and for the local plans on safe return to in-person instruction and use of funds. The letter cautions that approval does not settle compliance with Federal civil rights requirements and is signed by Cardona.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 655A4Ab394
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov 655A4Ab394

Cite this document

“Dear Commissioner Schwinn — ARP ESSER State Plan, Tennessee (July 15, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-655a4ab394/, SHA-256 5ee44961e57f8b30498e10f40cc979e1ae2391f94dace10cee32ac810d843d52.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                             July 15, 2021


The Honorable Penny Schwinn
Commissioner of Education
Tennessee Department of Education
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0375

Dear Commissioner Schwinn:

I am pleased to approve Tennessee’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.

Tennessee’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 Tennessee’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.

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 State educational agency (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 Tennessee.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of Tennessee’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 Tennessee’s
responsibility to comply with these civil rights requirements.

Page 2 – The Honorable Penny Schwinn
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

File: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-655a4ab394.pdf
Size: 136,052 bytes
SHA-256: 5ee44961e57f8b30498e10f40cc979e1ae2391f94dace10cee32ac810d843d52
Our copy: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-655a4ab394.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov