Secretary of Education Letter to Pennsylvania: ARP ESSER State Plan (August 5, 2021)

Summary

In this letter dated August 5, 2021, the Secretary of Education approves Pennsylvania's American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State plan. The letter is addressed to The Honorable Noe Ortega, Secretary of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education. It says the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. It states that by June 21, 2021, each State was required to post data on mode of instruction and enrollment for all students, disaggregated by student subgroups. The letter is signed /s/ Miguel A. 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 A802Fe9F54
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov A802Fe9F54

Cite this document

“Secretary of Education Letter to Pennsylvania: 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-a802fe9f54/, SHA-256 299f2c1c78fa5493b09c7f2499ac5cb7fa90fe4d6893f7bb4ebf3a33fdd74cc9.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                            August 5, 2021


The Honorable Noe Ortega
Secretary of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, Tenth Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

Dear Secretary Ortega:

I am pleased to approve Pennsylvania’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.

Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania.OESE@ed.gov.

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

Page 2 – The Honorable Noe Ortega
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-a802fe9f54.pdf
Size: 136,045 bytes
SHA-256: 299f2c1c78fa5493b09c7f2499ac5cb7fa90fe4d6893f7bb4ebf3a33fdd74cc9
Our copy: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-a802fe9f54.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov