The Secretary of Education to the Honorable Tiffany Sanderson — South Dakota (July 7, 2021)

Summary

A letter dated July 7, 2021 from the Secretary of Education to Secretary Tiffany Sanderson of the South Dakota Department of Education approving South Dakota's American Rescue Plan ESSER State plan and releasing the remaining one-third of the State's allocation, except as described. The approval is conditioned on South Dakota amending its plan to describe the evidence-based interventions it will use for lost instructional time, summer learning and enrichment, and afterschool programs, because it had not yet identified them. South Dakota must report its progress within 30 days.

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Full text

                                        THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                             WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                               July 7, 2021


The Honorable Tiffany Sanderson
Secretary of Education
South Dakota Department of Education
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2291

Dear Secretary Sanderson,

I am pleased to approve South Dakota’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, South Dakota’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 South Dakota’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, South Dakota indicated that it has not yet
identified its interventions. As a result, this approval is conditioned on South Dakota 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, South
Dakota must provide an update on its progress selecting evidence-based interventions to meet
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 URL(s) 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
Page 2 – The Honorable Tiffany Sanderson
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
services; and (b) use of ARP ESSER funds. Please submit the URL or URLs to the Department
via email to your State mailbox at SouthDakota.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of South Dakota’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 South Dakota’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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