PRDE ESSA State Plan Approval Letter

Summary

A letter dated November 18, 2021 from Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona to Eliezer Ramos Parés, Interim Secretary of Education of the Puerto Rico Department of Education, approving Puerto Rico's American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State plan. The letter says the plan is consistent with all ARP ESSER statutory and regulatory requirements and that the Department will immediately release the remaining one-third of the State's ARP ESSER allocation. It asks the State to give the Department the URLs where the public can find mode of instruction and enrollment data and the LEA plans for the safe return to in-person instruction and use of funds. It adds that approval is not a determination that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Ppr Int Df8Af7Ab9972B548 Pdf C72F56D9C5
Case: Ppr Int Df8Af7Ab9972B548 Pdf C72F56D9C5

Cite this document

“PRDE ESSA State Plan Approval Letter.” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/ppr-int-df8af7ab9972b548-pdf-c72f56d9c5/, SHA-256 6173a0d88a80221c998483e17e623d20dac1c64efc47a3ed387961d850810e07.

Full text

                                       THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
                                            WASHINGTON, DC 20202




                                              November 18, 2021


The Honorable Eliezer Ramos Parés
Interim Secretary of Education
Puerto Rico Department of Education
P.O. Box 190759
San Juan, PR 00919-0759

Dear Mr. Ramos:

I am pleased to approve Puerto Rico’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; 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.

Puerto Rico’s plan is consistent with all ARP ESSER statutory and regulatory requirements and
addresses all the ARP ESSER State plan elements. This letter, along with Puerto Rico’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 PuertoRico.OESE@ed.gov.

Please be aware that approval of Puerto Rico’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 Puerto Rico’s responsibility to comply with these civil rights requirements.
Page 2 – The Honorable Eliezer Ramos


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,



                                      Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.

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Our copy: ppr-int-df8af7ab9972b548-PDF-c72f56d9c5.pdf
Original: www.ed.gov