Dear Secretary Stewart — ARP ESSER State Plan, New Mexico (July 22, 2021)

Summary

This July 22, 2021 letter from the Secretary of Education is addressed to the Honorable Ryan Stewart, Secretary of Education, New Mexico Public Education Department. It approves New Mexico's American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State plan and says the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. The approval is conditioned on New Mexico continuing to engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders representing the interests of children and youth in foster care. The letter says New Mexico must amend the plan within 45 days of receipt, and it carries the signature text /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 Fd6A073481
Case: Department Of Education Pdf Www Ed Gov Fd6A073481

Cite this document

“Dear Secretary Stewart — ARP ESSER State Plan, New Mexico (July 22, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-fd6a073481/, SHA-256 559cca06161a9c3509e501d09e87d6fc3ded8489090cbe480c6e2b2ea2bb4da6.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                             July 22, 2021


The Honorable Ryan Stewart
Secretary of Education
New Mexico Public Education Department
300 Don Gaspar Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786

Dear Secretary Stewart:

I am pleased to approve New Mexico’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, New Mexico’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 New Mexico’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 engaged in
meaningful consultation with stakeholders. The description must include how the SEA provided
the public the opportunity to provide input in the development of the plan, a summary of the
input (including any letters of support), and how the SEA took such input into account. In its
ARP ESSER State plan, New Mexico described extensive consultation with stakeholders.
However, New Mexico indicated that it did not have evidence or data to demonstrate that it
meaningfully consulted with stakeholders representing the interests of children and youth in
foster care. As a result, this approval is conditioned on New Mexico continuing to engage in
meaningful consultation specifically with stakeholders representing the interests of children and
youth in foster care. Within 45 days of receipt of this letter, New Mexico must amend its ARP
ESSER State plan to describe how it met the requirements in section C.1 of the ARP ESSER
State plan template, including how it incorporated feedback from stakeholders representing the
interests of children and youth in foster care into its ARP ESSER State plan.

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)
Page 2 – The Honorable Ryan Stewart
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
services; and (b) use of ARP ESSER funds. Please submit the URL or URLs to the Department
via email to your State mailbox at NewMexico.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of New Mexico’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 New Mexico’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 support 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-fd6a073481.pdf
Size: 139,268 bytes
SHA-256: 559cca06161a9c3509e501d09e87d6fc3ded8489090cbe480c6e2b2ea2bb4da6
Our copy: department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-fd6a073481.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov