West Virginia State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (U.S. Department of Education)
Summary
West Virginia's State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund, on the U.S. Department of Education template. The cover page gives ARP ESSER award number S425U210036 for the West Virginia Department of Education and names Michele Blatt, Deputy State Superintendent, as the state contact. The plan follows the template's sections on the state's current status and needs and its use of the funds.
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
Full text
West Virginia’s
State Plan
For the American Rescue Plan
Elementary and Secondary
School Emergency Relief Fund
Submitted to the U.S. Department of Education
June 7, 2021
Resubmitted after Public Comment
July 6, 2021
Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number: S425U210036- West Virginia Department of Education
SEA Contact: Michele Blatt, Deputy State Superintendent
Telephone: 304-558-3762
Email address: mlblatt@k12.wv.us
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and further
assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan are true
and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative
(Printed Name)
W. Clayton Burch, State Superintendent of Schools
Signature of Authorized SEA Repre entative Date: July 6, 2021
(
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Introduction
The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (“ARP
ESSER”) Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021, provides
nearly $122 billion to States to support the Nation’s schools in safely reopening and sustaining
safe operations of schools while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health
needs of students resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic. It is
particularly important that ARP ESSER funding will enable States and local educational
agencies (“LEAs”), and more directly schools, to support students who have been most severely
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are likely to have suffered the most because of
longstanding inequities in our communities and schools that have been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Education (“Department”) is committed to working in partnership with
States so that these unprecedented resources are quickly put to work to ensure students have
sustained access to in-person instruction and that the resources are used to provide the effective
support students need as they persist through and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic. The thoughtful and timely use of these 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.
This template presents an opportunity for States to share their plans for the use of ARP ESSER
funds with the public. The Department must approve a State educational agency’s (“SEA’s”)
plan in order to make the State’s remaining ARP ESSER allocation available for use. Please note
that the Department intends to issue ARP ESSER reporting requirements separately.
Instructions
Each SEA must provide descriptions and other information that address each requirement listed
below. An SEA may use this template or another format as long as every item and element is
addressed in the SEA’s response. Throughout this document, questions that refer to an SEA’s
ARP ESSER funding are referencing the total allocation to be received by the SEA, including
that which it allocates to its LEAs.
Each SEA must submit to the Department by June 7, 2021, either: (1) its ARP ESSER plan or
(2) the State requirements that preclude submission of the plan by that date and a date by which
it will be able to submit its complete ARP ESSER plan.
To submit the SEA’s plan, please email the plan to your Program Officer at
[State].OESE@ed.gov (e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov).
In order to ensure transparency, the Department will post each plan on the Department’s website
when it is received and will indicate each plan’s approval status.
This template also allows States to fulfill the requirement of the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations (“CRRSA”) Act ESSER II 6-month reporting requirement
in section 313(f) of the CRRSA Act.
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Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number: S425U210036 – West Virginia Department of Education
SEA Contact: Michele Blatt, Deputy State Superintendent
Telephone: 304-558-3762
Email address: mlblatt@k12.wv.us
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and further
assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan are true
and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative
(Printed Name)
W. Clayton Burch, State Superintendent of Schools
Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date: June 7, 2021
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A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs
The Department recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by States, LEAs, and educators to
support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe the
progress they have made, the priorities and student needs guiding their ARP ESSER funding
decisions, and their current and projected operating status.
1. Progress and Promising Practices: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3
strategies that have been most effective in supporting the needs of students in
your State during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students most impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please include, if applicable, how your State will
submit and encourage its LEAs to submit lessons learned and best practices to the
Department’s Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse so that
they can be shared with other States and LEAs.
A.1. West Virginia’s top strategies for supporting students during the COVID-19 pandemic have
been:
• Communities In Schools (CIS) was operational in 118 schools across 23 districts at the onset
of the pandemic. School leaders in these schools continue to cite how critical the CIS Site
Coordinators are to engage and assist struggling students and their families. Based on this
success, 37 schools across 8 new districts and 1 current district are working to add the CIS
program for the 2021-2022 school year; it is anticipated that additional districts will elect to
do so with ARP ESSER resources.
• Child Nutrition programs have been operational and providing support to West Virginia
students from day one of the COVID-19 emergency declaration. Within 48 hours, meal
delivery plans were created and have been adapted throughout the summer and school
year to ensure that students have access to school meals wherever they are receiving
instruction. Between March and December of 2020, over 34 million meals were provided.
The Pandemic EBT program was also initiated in the summer of 2020 and continues to
provide electronic food benefits to students currently valued at $378 million with an
estimated $375 million in additional benefits coming in the summer of 2021.
• Summer SOLE (Student Opportunities for Learning and Engagement) grants were provided
to LEAs from the ESSER II State Activity funds ($33 million) to offer hands-on, engaging and
interactive summer learning experiences that will begin to address students’ social-
emotional needs and support their recovery from lost learning opportunities. Grant
requirements included providing in-person, research-based summer programs lasting at
least four weeks (minimum of 4 days/week) with free transportation and meals. The WVDE
employed a new Extended Learning Coordinator to provide weekly virtual technical
assistance meetings for LEA grant contacts and to coordinate monitoring and data
collection. This position will continue to work with extended learning programs throughout
all ESSER grant periods.
• Kids Connect is designed to support the learning needs of children who do not have access
to the Internet at their home. By installing the necessary equipment, all public schools,
institutions of higher education (IHE), public libraries and state parks have been turned into
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Wi-Fi hotspots. From their vehicle, a student can access the Internet to download/upload
their homework assignments from 8am to 10pm every day.
The WVDE Office of Communications will coordinate state and LEA contributions to the
Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse.
2. Overall Priorities: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3 issues currently facing
students and schools across your State as a result of or in response to the COVID-
19 pandemic including, to the extent possible, data illustrating why these are the
most critical and/or most widespread issues facing schools and students.
A.2. The top COVID-19 pandemic recovery issues facing West Virginia’s students and schools
are:
• Addressing the social and academic issues of students who have spent much, or all, of the
2020-2021 school year in remote learning situations. Many have not successfully
completed course work and will be lacking in academic skill sets and behavioral skills
needed to successfully return to in-person school. Those that chose full-time virtual school
will have been out of the school environment for 18 months when they return in the fall of
2021.
• Addressing the significant number of secondary learners that failed to earn credits during
the 2020-2021 school year. These students will have both academic and social needs as
they struggle to meet graduation requirements.
• Addressing the significant loss in academic performance (based on preliminary 2021
assessment data) in both English language arts and mathematics.
3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students: Describe your State’s 2-3
highest priority academic, social, emotional, and/or mental health needs for
the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year (if applicable) and for the 2021-
2022 school year related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each
of the following student groups:
i. Students from low-income families,
ii. Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying
disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by race or
ethnicity),
iii. Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender),
iv. English learners,
v. Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and
youth with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (“IDEA”)),
vi. Students experiencing homelessness,
vii. Children and youth in foster care,
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viii. Migratory students, and
ix. Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have
been identified by the SEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal
justice system, students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years,
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures, and LGBTQ+
students).
To the extent possible, this description should include data on indicators such as
estimates of the academic impact of lost instructional time, 1 chronic
absenteeism, student engagement, and social-emotional well-being.
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a narrative
description.
Table A1.
Highest priority needs
Students from low- 16% opted for full-time virtual learning.
income families Priorities will be:
1. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and academic
status and provide services as needed;
2. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
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For the purposes of the plan, “academic impact of lost instructional time” refers to “learning loss” experienced by
students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in the ARP Act and the CRRSA Act.
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Highest priority needs
Students from each Enrollment Counts:
racial or ethnic 223,600 White, not Hispanic -
background used by 10,302 Black/African American, not Hispanic -
the State for reporting
purposes – please add 5,087 Hispanic, of any race -
a row for each racial 1,588 Asian, not Hispanic -
or ethnic group (e.g., 201 American Indian/Alaska Native, not Hispanic -
identifying disparities 111 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, not Hispanic -
and focusing on 9,705 Two or more races, not Hispanic
underserved student ----------------------------------------------------
groups by
15% White, not Hispanic -
race/ethnicity)
17% Black/African American, not Hispanic -
14% Hispanic, of any race -
27% Asian, not Hispanic -
19% American Indian/Alaska Native, not Hispanic -
26% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, not Hispanic -
15% Two or more races, not Hispanic -
The above listed groups opted for full-time virtual learning.
Data from the Spring 2021 School Learning Environment Survey (see
A.3.) suggests that all racial/ethnic student groups have been
emotionally impacted by the isolation and disruption caused by the
pandemic. While percentages of Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders who are
sad and worried are significantly higher, the small sample size must be
considered before concluding that this group is more impacted than
other racial/ethnic groups.
Priorities will be:
1. Assess specific racial/ethnic family fears related to school safety to
address concerns and encourage return to in-person instruction;
2. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and academic
status and provide services as needed;
3. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
Students by gender – 14% of the State’s males students –
please add a row for 17% of the State’s female students –
each gender (e.g., The above listed groups opted for full-time virtual learning.
identifying disparities
and focusing on
underserved student Priorities will be:
groups by gender)
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Highest priority needs
1. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and academic
status and provide services as needed;
2. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
English learners 13% opted for full-time virtual learning.
Priorities will be:
1. Assess specific family fears related to school safety to address
concerns and encourage return to in-person instruction where
students can receive sufficient EL services;
2. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), English
language acquisition and academic status and provide services as
needed;
3. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
Children with 13% opted for full-time virtual learning.
disabilities Priorities will be:
1. Assess specific family fears related to school safety to address
concerns and encourage return to in-person instruction where
students can receive sufficient IEP services;
2. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and
academic status and provide services as needed;
3. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
Students experiencing 14% opted for full-time virtual learning.
homelessness Priorities will be:
1. Assess specific family fears related to school safety as well as other
barriers to school attendance and address concerns/barriers and
encourage return to in-person instruction where students can
receive sufficient services;
2. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and
academic status and provide services as needed;
3. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
Children and youth in No data to date on the percentage of foster care student who opted
foster care for full-time virtual learning.
Priorities will be:
1. Assess specific family fears related to school safety as well as other
barriers to school attendance and address concerns/barriers and
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Highest priority needs
encourage return to in-person instruction where students can
receive sufficient services;
2. Assess health/safety, social emotional learning (SEL), and
academic status and provide services as needed;
3. Re-establish classroom behavioral norms and provide support as
needed.
Migratory students No data
Other groups of Students in the State’s non-LEA schools (WV Schools for the Deaf and
students identified by Blind and the WV Schools for Diversion and Transition) have also had
the State (e.g., youth interrupted instruction and services resulting in academic and SEL
involved in the
criminal justice needs.
system, students who
have missed the most Students in the State’s Multi-County Vocational Schools (MCVCs) have
in-person instruction also suffered academically due to lost time to meet clinical
during the 2019-2020 instructional hours required for national certification programs.
and 2020-2021 school
years, students who
Priorities will be:
did not consistently
participate in remote 1. Provide additional supports and assistance to ensure
instruction when uninterrupted instruction in the residential settings;
offered during school 2. Provide additional instructional time for clinical requirements.
building closures,
LGBTQ+ students)
A.3. From Preliminary data from the Spring 2021 WV School Learning Environment Survey:
American Black or Native
Within the past two weeks, how often have you Indian / Alaska African Hawaiian or
[ ] most of the time or almost always Native Asian American Multi-Race Pacific Islander White
felt sad? 25.9% 23.8% 30.2% 31.8% 66.7% 27.7%
felt lonely? 25.9% 26.2% 24.4% 31.3% 33.3% 25.8%
felt like not talking to anyone? 41.2% 29.3% 34.9% 38.1% 0.0% 30.9%
had trouble falling asleep? 42.4% 31.0% 33.3% 44.6% 33.3% 33.4%
worried about school work? 43.5% 46.3% 47.6% 56.3% 66.7% 47.6%
felt anxious? 42.2% 33.3% 30.2% 49.2% 33.3% 40.8%
felt like you could not focus in school? 43.5% 21.4% 36.5% 44.7% 33.3% 35.1%
American Native Hawaiian
Black or African
During the past 12 months, did you … Indian / Alaska Asian Multi-Race or Pacific White
American
Native Islander
ever feel so sad or hopeless almost everyday
for two weeks or more that you stopped doing 34.50% 43.90 34.50% 44.10% 66.70% 36.20
some usual activities?
ever seriously consider attempting suicide? 14.90% 26.80 19.50% 26.00% 33.30% 16.90
make a plan about how you would attempt
16.10% 19.00 12.60% 22.70% 0.00% 14.00
suicide?
.
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4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Describe how the SEA
will support its LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on student learning and student well-being, including identifying the
groups of students most impacted by the pandemic. Where possible, please
identify the data sources the SEA will suggest its LEAs use in thoughtfully
diagnosing areas of need, including data on the academic, social, emotional, and
mental health impacts of lost instructional time.
Because state level data collection has also been interrupted during the pandemic, the WVDE
has instructed LEAs to rely more on locally collected data such as benchmark assessments,
student engagement/school climate surveys, school mental health and Communities In Schools
reports, student and staff attendance/enrollment by instructional method, and student
Internet/device access. LEAs have been asked to provide information from these sources in
their ARP ESSER application presentations and will be expected to include relevant data sets in
their ESEA Consolidated Application Needs Assessment moving forward.
Specific WVDE program staff will support LEAs in the disaggregation of data for specific
subgroups to ensure that LEAs are identifying all areas of need.
5. School Operating Status: It is essential to have data on how students are learning
in order to support the goals of access and equity, especially for student groups
that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Describe
the current status of data collection on operational status and mode of instruction
of all schools in your State. This description must include:
i. A description of to what extent, and how frequently, the State
collects now and will collect in the future data for all schools in your
State on:
a. Mode of instruction: The number of schools in your State that are
offering fully remote or online-only instruction; both
remote/online and in-person instruction (hybrid model); and/or
full-time in-person instruction;
b. Enrollment: Student enrollment for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in A.3.i-
viii for each mode of instruction; and
c. Attendance: Student attendance for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in A.3.i-
viii for each mode of instruction.
A.5.i.a. The pandemic has brought many changes to our students’ lives, one of which is how
schools conduct their daily operations. Across West Virginia, questions are being considered
concerning virtual learning vs. in-person learning on student success, social emotional support,
achievement gaps, and the list continues.
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To address these questions and best support our students, the West Virginia Department of
Education (WVDE) initiated data collections to access information from school districts on:
• Number of In-Person learners at each school, and
• Instructional modality by week for each (i.e., fully in-person, blended, fully remote, no
school).
The following definitions were used for these collections:
• In-Person Learners: Number of students whose caregiver opted for the student to receive
instruction in the school facilities on their designated days when school facilities were open.
• Off-Site Learners: Number of students whose caregiver opted for the student to receive
instruction in the school facilities 0 days a week.
• Fully In-Person: 5 days per week in school buildings.
• Blended: Mix of online and in-person instruction.
• Fully Remote: School facilities were closed and no in-person instruction occurred for the
general student population.
• No School: Schools and offices were closed (e.g., holiday or similar breaks). No instruction
occurred for the student population.
These collections are to be conducted for each of four 9-week grading periods of which the
180-day academic year consists.
A.5.i.b. The WVDE administers and supports a statewide student information system, the West
Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS). All local education agencies (LEAs) are required
by law to use this system to maintain detailed student education records, including
demographic characteristic, enrollment status, academic schedules and grades, and other
relevant information. Using information gathered by the collections described in A.5.i.a., it is
possible to derive estimates of enrollment information for each mode of instruction,
disaggregated for most of the student groups described in A.3.i-viii.
A.5.i.c. Attendance by mode of instruction, disaggregated for most of the student groups
described in A.3.i-viii, may also be determined by the process described in A.5.i.b.
ii. The data described in A.5.i.a. and b. using the template in Appendix
A (and to the extent available, the data described in A.5.i.c.) for the
most recent time period available. Please note that this data can be
submitted separately within 14 calendar days after a State submits
this plan. The SEA must also make this data publicly available on its
website as soon as possible but no later than June 21, 2021, and
regularly provide updated available information on its website. The
Department will periodically review data listed in A.5.i on SEA
websites.
A.5.ii. See Appendix A.
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iii. To the extent available, a description of the planned operational
status and mode of instruction for the State and its LEAs for Summer
2021 and for the 2021-2022 school year.
A.5.iii. The current and planned operational status and mode of instruction for West Virginia’s
55 LEAs is:
• All 55 LEAs in West Virginia will provide in-person summer learning opportunities in 2021.
• Barring any significant change in COVID-19 infection rates for the State, it is the expectation
of the West Virginia Board of Education that all 55 LEAs will provide in-person instruction 5
days per week when the 2021-2022 school year begins.
• For the 2021-2022 school year, restrictions are being placed on the use of the West Virginia
Virtual School platform limiting use only to grades 6-12 and only for courses where certified
teachers are not available or where class enrollment is too low to provide a school-based
instructor. This is to assure that students enrolling in self-paced full-time virtual education
can be successful.
• For the 2021-2022 school year, LEAs may offer district owned virtual/remote learning
options.
B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining their Safe Operations
The Department recognizes that safely reopening schools and sustaining their safe operations
to maximize in-person instruction is essential for student learning and student well-being,
and especially for being able to address the educational inequities that have been worsened
by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their
LEAs in this vital area.
1. Support for LEAs: Describe how the SEA will support its LEAs in safely
returning to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operation of schools.
This description must include:
i. How the SEA will support its LEAs implementing, to the greatest
extent practicable, prevention and mitigation policies in line with the
most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (“CDC”) for the reopening and operation of school
facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students,
educators, and other staff;
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a
narrative description.
B.1.i. On March 4, 2020, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice issued a State of Preparedness for
COVID-19 and on March 5, 2020, the WVDE launched the www.wvde.us/COVID19 website to
provide support to the State’s 55 LEAs and to keep families and interested citizens informed of
how the State’s public schools were addressing the various educational concerns raised
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throughout the pandemic. This website is a living source of information that continues to be
updated as new information is released by state and federal agencies.
On March 13, 2020, Governor Justice ordered all schools to close and engage students in
remote learning; this continued for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. In preparation
for the 2020-2021 school year, the WVDE convened the School Recovery Advisory Council; a
diverse group of stakeholders to consult on the development of the State’s School-Recovery-
and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us) (Appendix B) which outlines the rules under which schools operate
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Declaration issued by Governor Justice on
March 13, 2020, allowed for the Roadmap document to be enforced as policy governing all of
the State’s public schools. Under the emergency declaration, there was no requirement for
public comment; however, the diverse stakeholder group that contributed to the development
of this document included school administrators from all levels, teacher and service personnel
organizations, parent organizations and student advocacy groups. In compliance with the ARP
ESSER regulations, the WVDE will place the latest revision of the Roadmap document on public
comment on or before June 18, 2021, to coincide with changes being made to the Governor’s
Executive Orders related to mask requirements and other mitigation strategies. The public
comment log will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education after the comment period
closes.
Table B1.
Mitigation strategy SEA response – see Appendix B
Universal and correct wearing of masks School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
Page 4
Physical distancing (e.g., including use of School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
cohorts/podding) Pages 5-6
Handwashing and respiratory etiquette School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
Page 5
Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
including improving ventilation Page 5
Contact tracing in combination with isolation School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
and quarantine, in collaboration with the State, Pages 6-7
local, territorial, or Tribal health departments
Diagnostic and screening testing The WVDE worked with the WV Bureau for
Public Health to secure CDC funding to support
school based COVID-19 testing programs.
Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, Important Information on Student Vaccinations
other staff, and students, if eligible - West Virginia Department of Education
(wvde.us)
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Mitigation strategy SEA response – see Appendix B
School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us)
Page 3
Appropriate accommodations for children with The State’s mask requirements were eliminated
disabilities with respect to the health and safety on June 20, 2021; eliminating the need for
policies accommodations for students with disabilities.
ii. Any Statewide plans, policies, estimated timelines, and specific
milestones related to reopening and operation of school facilities,
including any mechanisms the SEA will use to track, monitor, or
enforce their implementation;
B.1.ii. COVID Recovery Timeline - West Virginia Department of Education (wvde.us)
In addition to the state level School-Recovery-and-Guidance.pdf (wvde.us) document, the
WVDE also posts:
• LEA school recovery plans County Recovery Plans - West Virginia Department of Education
(wvde.us), and
• LEA school outbreak information COVID-19 Outbreaks in State Public Schools - West Virginia
Department of Education (wvde.us)
iii. To what extent the SEA and its LEAs consult with Federal, State,
and local health officials. This description should include, if
available, whether the SEA and its LEAs have received support for
screening testing from their State or local health department based
on funding awarded by the CDC; and
B.1.iii. The WVDE and its LEAs have consulted with and followed the guidance of Federal, State,
and local health officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the lifting of the State
Emergency Declaration, the protocol still requires LEAs to consult with their local health officials
for direction on school operating status, mitigation strategies, outbreak monitoring, contact
tracing and quarantine guidance. While the authority for action has been delegated to the local
level due to the more localized status of the pandemic, the guidance for those decisions will
always be based on the Federal and State agency guidance and technical support.
The WVDHHR did receive funding for COVID-19 screening testing awarded by the CDC.
Currently, they are making the service available to LEAs upon request, but no LEAs have
developed comprehensive screening testing programs at this time.
iv. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance
opportunities the SEA will make available to its LEAs.
B.1.iv. The WVDE has provided multiple professional learning and technical assistance
opportunities to its LEAs throughout the pandemic. The State Superintendent held a minimum
of two Teams meetings each week with district superintendents at the beginning of the State of
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Emergency to review new information and guidance. The frequency of meetings has fluctuated
as needed throughout the pandemic. Program specific professional development has been
offered to LEA professional staff such as school business officials, district directors of federal
programs, curriculum, special education, and child nutrition, and school nurses. The WVDE also
provided a virtual Educator Summit in August of 2020 to provide just in time support for
instructional and professional support staff on strategies for engaging students in remote
learning environments. The virtual Educator Summit will be conducted in 2021 with a focus on
addressing lost learning opportunities and providing appropriate acceleration strategies.
2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans: Describe
how the SEA will ensure that its LEAs that receive ARP ESSER funds meet the
requirements in section 2001(i) of the ARP Act and the requirements relating to
the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal Register and available at
https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-
elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/ (ARP ESSER requirements)
to either: (a) within 30 days of receipt of the funds, develop and make publicly
available on the LEA’s website a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction
and continuity of services, or (b) have developed and made publicly available on
the LEA’s website such a plan that meets statutory requirements before the
enactment of the ARP Act, including:
i. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan includes, or will be
modified to include, the extent to which it has adopted policies and a
description of any such policies on each of the strategies listed in
table B1;
ii. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan describes how it will
ensure continuity of services including but not limited to services to
address the students’ academic needs, and students’ and staff social,
emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include
student health and food services;
iii. How the SEA will ensure that the LEA periodically reviews, no less
frequently than every six months for the duration of the ARP ESSER
grant period (i.e., through September 30, 2023), 2 and revises as
appropriate, its plan, and how the SEA will ensure that the LEA
seeks public input, and takes such input into account on (1) whether
revisions are necessary and, if so, (2) the revisions to the plan; and
iv. Describe, to the extent the SEA collects it, information about LEA
implementation, to the greatest extent practicable, of each element of
the most up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1 and its LEAs’
needs for support and technical assistance to implement strategies
consistent, to the greatest extent practicable, with relevant CDC
guidance.
2
ARP ESSER funds are subject to the Tydings amendment in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions
Act, 20 U.S.C. 1225(b), and are therefore available to SEAs and LEAs for obligation through September 30, 2024.
Review and revisions of these plans, if necessary, are not required during the Tydings period.
15
B. 2. Beginning on March 13, 2020, each LEA in the State of West Virginia was bound by the
Governor‘s March 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Declaration to follow the school re-entry plan
provided by the Governor’s Office or an authorized state agency acting on behalf of the
Governor (primarily the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the West Virginia
Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR).
The first written school re-entry plan was originally posted in July 2020 and has been revised as
needed every time CDC guidance for safe in-person instruction has been updated. The
document was not placed on public comment because the Emergency Declaration made it
binding policy without traditional policy enactment procedures. However, the latest update of
the document was released on June 17, 2021, to provide updated guidance for summer 2021
and beyond and coincide with changes in the Governor’s Executive Order related to mitigation
strategies. A comment log and summary of resulting changes may be found in Appendix C.
Each LEA is required to adopt the updated document as a minimum requirement or with
increased requirements and post locally for public comment. Documentation of the local
comment logs will be included in the LEA process to apply for ARP ESSER funding. Each time
the school re-entry document is updated, the WVDE will review each LEA re-entry document to
ensure that it is publicly available on the LEA website and that it includes the necessary
components.
B.2.i. COVID-19 transmission mitigation strategies that are consistent with current CDC school
guidance - with the lifting of the Executive Order for masking and social distancing, the
authority for mitigation mandates has been returned to each county health department which
is under the authority of the WVDHHR. The WVDE will collaborate with the WVDHHR to
monitor outbreaks and jointly advise local health departments and their LEAs on appropriate
responses to changing infection rates.
B.2.ii. Strategies for how LEAs will ensure continuity of services including academic, social
emotional and other needs of students and staff – the WVDE provided feedback on each LEA
ARP ESSER Presentation to assure that each component of the plan was addressed prior to the
LEA placing the plan on public comment. In addition, the WVDE will review each final plan
which will be submitted with the ARP ESSER Application to assure that all components are
included prior to releasing the final 75% of the ARP ESSER funds to the LEA and giving written
approval for any construction projects requested as part of the application.
B.2.iii. The WVDE will continue to review and revise the school re-entry document every six
months or more frequently, if necessary, to stay consistent with current CDC school guidance.
The WVDE will monitor LEAs to ensure that they have current documents posted on their
websites and that they adhere to public comment processes throughout the ARP ESSER grant
period.
B.2.iv. The WVDE does not collect standardized data from LEAs on their implementation of the
CDC mitigation strategies listed in table B1. WVDE staff field informal communications from
LEA staff to clarify guidance and provide technical support. In addition, the WVDE has provided
a COVID-19 education website and phone hotline throughout the 2020-2021 school year to
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address questions and concerns from the public; many of these concerns involve the mitigation
strategies listed in table B1. When concerns related to specific LEAs are brought to the hotline,
the WVDE provides support and guidance to correct implementation errors.
The WVDE will continue to collaborate with the WV Bureau for Public Health (a division of
WVDHHR) to report school outbreaks and other relevant COVID-19 tracking for as long as the
federal and state public health officials deem it necessary to do so.
C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds
The Department recognizes that seeking input from diverse stakeholders is essential to
developing plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds that are responsive to the needs of
students, families, and educators. In this section, SEAs will describe their plans for
consultation and for coordinating the use of ARP ESSER funds with other resources to meet
the needs of students.
1. SEA Consultation: Consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements, describe how
the SEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, and incorporated
input into its plan, including, but not limited to:
i. students;
ii. families;
iii. Tribes (if applicable);
iv. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
v. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
vi. superintendents;
vii. charter school leaders (if applicable);
viii. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions; and
ix. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.
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.
C.1. During the summer of 2020, the State Superintendent convened the School Recovery
Advisory Council; a diverse group of stakeholders to consult on the development of the
protocol for re-opening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The group held two large virtual
meetings; the first to lay out the assignment and assign committee tasks and the second to
provide feedback to the review of committee drafts. Committees were formed and met
through frequent virtual meetings to develop sections of the school re-entry guidance
document. This group included representation of the required stakeholders as follows:
• Students and Families (Communities In Schools, Our Future WV, WV Department of Health
and Human Resources, WV Parent Teacher Association)
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• Tribes (not applicable because there are no tribal governments residing in the State of West
Virginia)
• Civil rights organizations (Herb Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, Disability Rights of WV,
WV Advisory Council for the Education of Exceptional Children, and WV American Civil
Liberties Union)
• Superintendents (Council of Chief State School Officers, WV Association of School
Administrators)
• Charter School Leaders (not applicable because there are no charter schools in West
Virginia at this time)
• Teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff and their unions (WV
Association of School Business Officials, WV Association of School Nurses, WV Council of
Administrators of Special Education, WV Council of School Nurses, WV Education
Association, WV Elementary and Middle School Principals Association, WV American
Federation of Teachers, WV Association of Secondary School Principals, WV Professional
Educators Association, WV School Boards Association, WV School Building Authority, WV
School Counselors Association, WV School Psychologists’ Association, WV School Service
Personnel Association, and WV Secondary School Activities Commission)
• Stakeholders representing the interest of children at risk (many of the above listed groups
as well as WV Department of Commerce (housing), WV Economic Development Authority
(employment), WV House and Senate Education Chairs, WV Primary Care Association, Early
Childhood Education Advisory Council, The Education Alliance, Marshall University Social
Work Department, WV School for Transition and Diversion, WVDE Coordinators for ESEA
programs representing students with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care and other underserved youth.
The Superintendent’s Education Advisory Team (SEAT) was established in 2021 as a advisory
body for all aspects of education; not solely focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. The SEAT will
provide the WVDE insight to understand the landscape facing our students, educators, staff,
and families more fully, while also serving an advisory role during this most critical time of
recovery and beyond. With a shared spirit of accountability, effective communication, and
action, the SEAT will be a part of solutions moving forward to best serve the needs of children
and to ensure the education system meets the needs of our state. The SEAT includes teachers,
school staff, principals, school district administrators, parents, and student advocacy groups.
The SEAT members completed a survey and participated in small group discussions which led to
a summary report titled Views from the SEAT. This report has informed the development of the
WVDE’s ARP ESSER plan.
The State Superintendent, along with senior staff from Teaching and Learning, Federal
Programs and Support, and Legal Services, conducted school visits to thirteen of the State’s 55
LEAs during the 2020-2021 school year. Most of the visits were conducted after the return to
full-time in-person instruction in February 2021. These visits included focus groups with
students, school staff and administrators to discuss concerns and needs related to each school’s
18
re-entry plan and hopes for post-COVID learning. The input from these discussions has been
integral to the development of the WVDE ARP ESSER plan.
In addition, the plan will be placed on public comment and comments will be logged and used
to make plan revisions as deemed appropriate. Due to the compressed timeline for submission
of the ARP ESSER plan, the comment period will overlap with the submission date and
comments will be incorporated (as needed) through revisions prior to approval of the State’s
ARP ESSER Application.
2. Coordinating Funds: Describe to what extent the SEA has and will coordinate
Federal COVID-19 pandemic funding and other Federal funding. This description
must include:
i. How the SEA and its LEAs 1) are using or have used prior to the
submission of this plan and 2) plan to use following submission of
this plan, Federal COVID-19 funding under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and the CRRSA Act
to support a safe return to and safely maximize in-person instruction,
sustain these operations safely, and address the disproportionate
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual student groups
(including students from low-income families, children with
disabilities, English learners, racial or ethnic minorities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
migratory students);
Complete the table below or provide a narrative description.
Table C1.
Funding source Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including Planned SEA and LEA
funding amounts, if applicable) uses (including funding
amounts, if applicable)
ESSER I (CARES WVDE Uses: N/A - all funds have
Act) 1. $3.8 million on installation of Wi-Fi been obligated
hotspots at every public school, library, IHE
for use by students across the state;
2. $3.8 million in competitive grants to LEAs
for additional educational technology
needs;
3. $682 thousand on grants to the WV Schools
for the Deaf & Blind and the WV Schools for
Diversion & Transition for COVID-19 needs;
4. $260 thousand for Mental Health First Aid;
and
5. $20 thousand on administrative activities.
LEA Uses:
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Funding source Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including Planned SEA and LEA
funding amounts, if applicable) uses (including funding
amounts, if applicable)
1. educational technology;
2. PPE;
3. cleaning supplies and overtime for custodial
staff; and
4. 4) coordination of food services
GEER I (CARES WVDE Uses: N/A - all funds have
Act) 1. $292 thousand for Communities In Schools; been obligated
2. $1.9 million in support for non-public
school COVID-19 needs;
3. $2.4 million for unprecedented costs of WV
Virtual Schools.
LEA Uses:
1. $2.18 million for Communities In Schools
ESSER II (CRRSA WVDE Uses: N/A - all funds have
Act) 1. $33.9 million for LEA Summer SOLE grants been obligated
LEA Uses:
1. educational technology;
2. air quality improvement projects;
3. PPE; and
4. 4) salaries
GEER II (CRRSA N/A – have not received GEER II funding N/A
Act)
ii. To what extent ESSER I and ESSER II funds have been awarded to
LEAs and, if funds have not yet been made available to LEAs, when
they will be. In addition, please provide any available information on
the total dollar amounts of ESSER I and ESSER II funds that have
been obligated but not expended by the SEA and its LEAs, including
whether the SEA is able to track LEA obligations.
C.2.ii. The SEA does not have the ability to track LEA obligations until the LEA closes each
month’s transaction (usually lagging actual transactions by at least 30 days).
The total dollar amount of funds that have been obligated but not expended by the SEA are:
• ESSER I - $12,950,638.50
• ESSER II - $330,658,544.43
iii. In supporting LEAs as they plan for the safe return to and continuity
of in-person instruction and for meeting the academic, social,
20
emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which the SEA is also using
other Federal funding sources including but not limited to under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA”), IDEA,
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”), funding for
child nutrition services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, and the funds to support the needs of students experiencing
homelessness provided by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act. 3
C.2.iii. Throughout the pandemic, the WVDE has continued to administer all federal programs
listed in C.2.iii. To the extent possible, the WVDE has provided guidance and support to LEAs in
the appropriate utilization of federal program funding to support the needs of students and
staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example:
• The WVDE Office of Child Nutrition launched LEA supports on March 13, 2020, that
supported the creation of meal delivery programs in all 55 LEAs within 48 hours of the
Governor closing all schools. All LEAs continued meal service/delivery throughout the
summer of 2020 and during times of remote learning throughout the 2020-2021 school year.
In addition, the WVDE Office of Child Nutrition also established the Pandemic EBT program
that has provided approximately $378 million in food benefits to West Virginia students and
an anticipated $375 million in summer 2021 benefits.
• The WVDE has applied for and received multiple ABE, CTE, ESEA and IDEA waivers
throughout the pandemic and has provided LEAs with technical support in the appropriate
application of those waivers to better meet the needs of students and staff served by the
programs. Additional assistance was provided to LEAs in the use of ESEA funds (where
appropriate) to meet immediate needs in the initial stages of the COVID-19 school closures
and remote learning efforts.
• The WVDE is currently awaiting spending authority from the state legislature to utilize the
discretionary portion of the ARP Homeless Children and Youth funding. Data is currently
being collected from McKinney-Vento grantees and other LEAs to assess additional needs.
D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students
The Department recognizes that States have an extraordinary opportunity to address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students through the
ARP Act’s required State set-asides to address the academic impact of lost instructional time,
provide summer learning and enrichment programs, and provide comprehensive afterschool
programs. In this section, SEAs will describe their evidence-based strategies for these
resources.
3
Please note that the needs of students experiencing homelessness must be addressed (along with the other groups
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) through the use of the ARP ESSER SEA reservations and
the required LEA reservation for the academic impact of lost instructional time; the funding provided to support the
needs of students experiencing homelessness by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act is in addition to the supports and
services provided with ARP ESSER funds.
21
1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time: Describe how the SEA will use the
funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 5
percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) on evidence-based
interventions to address the academic impact of lost instructional time by
supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool
programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions
respond to students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The
description must include:
i. A description of the evidence-based interventions (e.g., providing
intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating learning) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those interventions on an ongoing basis to understand if they are
working;
D.1.i. The WVDE opted to grant 5% of the State’s total ARP ESSER allocation (which was set
aside to address the academic impact of lost instructional time) to LEAs using a formula based
on adjusted enrollment counts. This was done to ensure that the greatest percentage of
funding is focused on direct services to students. LEAs will include these funds with the LEA
funds (20%) set aside for the same purpose. The LEAs will select the specific evidence-based
interventions that meet the needs of their students.
The SEA will support LEA efforts through professional development and technical assistance.
The SEA utilizes Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) to increase agency capacity to provide
technical assistance in implementation of evidence-based interventions. Currently, three TACs
are in operation in collaboration with Marshall University:
• WVDE TAC for Early and Elementary Learning (PK-5)
• WVDE TAC for Behavioral and Mental Health (PK-12)
• WVDE TAC for Accessibility and Transitions (PK-12)
Two additional TACs will be created in collaboration with West Virginia University using the ARP
ESSER State Activity funds:
• WVDE TAC for Grades 6-12 STEAM
• WVDE TAC for Student Support and Well-Being (PK-12)
The WVDE will develop data collection systems to monitor the impact of ESSER supported
interventions and the TACs will provide LEAs support in the data collection and analysis process.
ii. How the evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to determine the impact of lost instructional time; and
22
D.1.ii. Each TAC has been developed to address specific needs and/or groups of students who
traditionally need additional instructional or behavioral supports. Based on preliminary data,
these same groups of students have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Specific
state level data sources used include:
• Preliminary General Summative Assessment data
• End of semester transcribed grades (first semester 2020)
• WV Virtual School data
LEAs have also used the following data sources:
• Local benchmark assessment data
• Attendance/remote log-on data
• Behavioral data
• Course failure data
• School climate survey data
• Student support service delivery data
The WVDE TAC for Early and Elementary Learning is focused on providing support for quality
early childhood programs designed to counterbalance the effects of poverty on early childhood
development. This program directly impacts disadvantaged students.
The WVDE TAC for Behavioral and Mental Health is focused on providing support for school-
based mental health programs and helping schools implement positive behavior support
programs. This assistance addresses the needs of multiple groups of students listed in A.3.i.-
viii.
The WVDE TAC for Accessibility and Transitions is focused on providing support for students
with disabilities to ensure that they have appropriate support and accommodations to access
quality instruction.
The WVDE TAC for Grades 6-12 STEAM will be focused on providing students and teachers
access to quality STEAM programs, resources, and professional development. Specific attention
will be given to bring these STEAM opportunities to disadvantaged students, female students,
and students in racial/ethnic groups that may not have a background rich in STEAM content.
The WVDE TAC for Student Support and Wellbeing will be focused on supporting the expansion
of the Communities In Schools (CIS) program and incorporating various student support service
programs within the framework of CIS. The CIS framework supports the provision of targeted
services to students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, students living in
poverty, and other student that may be experiencing difficulties at school or at home.
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
23
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
D.1.iii. The WVDE and the LEAs will focus on the data sets listed in D.1.ii. and target programs
toward students identified as unsuccessful based on those data sets. It is expected, based on
preliminary data, that the students who have missed the most in-person instruction and did not
consistently participate in remote instruction will be among the students targeted for
interventions; however, that is not an exclusive factor for selection.
2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs: Describe how the
SEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act
(totaling not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER
funds) for evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs, including
those that begin in Summer 2021, and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs that address the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students
(e.g., providing intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating
learning) the SEA has selected, and the extent to which the SEA will
evaluate the impact of those programs;
D.2.i. The WVDE opted to grant 1% of the State’s total ARP ESSER allocation (which was set
aside to address summer learning and enrichment) to LEAs using a formula based on adjusted
enrollment counts. This was done to ensure that the greatest percentage of funding is focused
on direct student services. The WVDE dedicated the entire portion of ESSER II State Activity
funding to LEAs for Summer SOLE (Student Opportunities for Learning and Engagement) grants
to begin implementing evidence-based extended learning interventions in the summer of 2021
and continue with afterschool and summer programs throughout the ESSER II grant period.
LEAs will include the ARP ESSER summer learning and enrichment funds with their Summer
SOLE funds to continue implementing evidence-based summer programs throughout the ESSER
grant periods. The LEAs will select specific evidence-based interventions that meet the needs
of their students.
The SEA will continue to support LEA efforts through professional development and technical
assistance from the various TACs described in D.1.ii. In addition, the WVDE has employed a
Coordinator for Extended Learning in the Office of Federal Programs and Support. This
coordinator works alongside the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) staff to
provide additional technical assistance and support to LEAs in the development of evidence
based extended learning.
The WVDE will develop data collection systems to monitor the impact of ESSER supported
interventions and the TACs will provide LEAs support in the data collection and analysis process.
24
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3. i.--viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of summer learning and enrichment
programs; and
D.2.ii. LEAs will provide summer learning and enrichment opportunities to all students.
Specifically, students with disabilities will be offered Extended Year Services (EYS) and, to the
extent possible, EYS will be offered in conjunction with summer enrichment programs so
students with disabilities can participate in both opportunities.
Transportation and meals are required to be provided for all Summer SOLE programs and will
continue to be provided throughout the ESSER grant periods. Other support services such as
health services and counseling are also being offered in some summer programs. This will
ensure that disadvantaged students in various subgroups will be able to participate and will
receive other needed services while in attendance.
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
D.2.iii. The WVDE and the LEAs will focus on the data sets listed in D.1.ii. and target programs
toward students identified as unsuccessful based on those data sets. It is expected, based on
preliminary data, that the students who have missed the most in-person instruction and did not
consistently participate in remote instruction will be among the students targeted for
interventions; however, that is not an exclusive factor for selection.
3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs: Describe how the SEA
will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(3) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) for
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs (including, for example,
before-school programming), and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs (e.g., including
partnerships with community-based organizations) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those programs;
25
D.3.i. The WVDE opted to grant 1% of the State’s total ARP ESSER allocation (which was set
aside to address afterschool programs) to LEAs using a formula based on adjusted enrollment
counts. This was done to ensure that the greatest percentage of funding is focused on direct
student services. The WVDE dedicated the entire portion of ESSER II State Activity funding to
LEAs for Summer SOLE (Student Opportunities for Learning and Engagement) grants to begin
implementing evidence based extended learning programs in the summer of 2021 and continue
with afterschool and summer programs throughout the ESSER II grant period. LEAs will include
the ARP ESSER afterschool funds with their Summer SOLE funds to continue implementing
evidence-based afterschool programs. The LEAs will select specific evidence-based
interventions that meet the needs of their students.
The SEA will continue to support LEA efforts through professional development and technical
assistance from the various TACs described in D.1.ii. In addition, the WVDE has employed a
Coordinator for Extended Learning in the Office of Federal Programs and Support. This
coordinator works alongside the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) staff to
provide additional technical assistance and support to LEAs in the development of evidence
based extended learning.
The WVDE will develop data collection systems to monitor the impact of ESSER supported
interventions and the TACs will provide LEAs support in the data collection and analysis process.
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of comprehensive afterschool
programming; and
D.3.ii. LEAs will provide afterschool programming opportunities targeted to students who are
struggling to attain mastery of grade level academic standards. State general summative
assessments, local benchmark and formative assessment data along with teacher and parent
observational data will be used to identify students most in need of afterschool programming.
Students needing additional social and emotional learning (SEL) supports will be encouraged to
participate in afterschool programming. Classroom behavioral data, discipline reports, and
student/parent/staff referrals will be used to identify students most in need of SEL support
during afterschool programming.
LEAs have reported significant success with virtual afterschool tutoring that can be scheduled
during evening hours when parents are home to participate in the tutoring sessions and gain
more confidence in their abilities to assist students with learning activities. This practice of
authentic family engagement on an individual family basis will be continued by many LEAs as
part of their afterschool programming. This practice has been an effective method to reach
26
students and families who have traditionally been underserved by traditional after school
programming.
Transportation and meals are required to be provided for all Summer SOLE extended learning
programs and will continue to be provided through the ESSER funding periods. This will ensure
that disadvantaged students in various subgroups will be able to participate and will receive
other needed services while in attendance.
iii. the extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify and
engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person instruction
during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2) students
who did not consistently participate in remote instruction when
offered during school building closures.
D.3..iii. The WVDE and the LEAs will focus on the data sets listed in D.1.ii. and target programs
toward students identified as unsuccessful based on those data sets. It is expected, based on
preliminary data, that the students who have missed the most in-person instruction and did not
consistently participate in remote instruction will be among the students targeted for
interventions, that is not an exclusive factor for selection.
4. Emergency Needs: If the SEA plans to reserve funds for emergency needs under
section 2001(f)(4) of the ARP Act to address issues responding to the COVID-19
pandemic, describe the anticipated use of those funds, including the extent to
which these funds will build SEA and LEA capacity to ensure students’ and
staff’s health and safety; to meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs; and to use ARP ESSER funds to implement evidence-based
interventions.
D.4. The WVDE will utilize the remaining 3% of the total ARP ESSER allocation on the following:
• Up to 0.5% on administrative costs only as necessary;
• Establish two new TACs at West Virginia University for STEAM and Student Support and
Well-being;
• WVDE technology infrastructure upgrades and programming to build capacity for ESSER
data collection;
• Upgrade the WV Virtual School platform;
• Provide funding to non-LEA public schools (WV Schools for the Deaf & Blind and WV
Diversion and Transition Schools) to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19; and
• Other needs not yet identified.
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
The Department recognizes that the safe return to in-person instruction must be accompanied
by a focus on meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and by
27
addressing the opportunity gaps that existed before – and were exacerbated by – the
pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their LEAs in
developing high-quality plans for LEAs’ use of ARP ESSER funds to achieve these
objectives.
1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds: Describe what the SEA will
require its LEAs to include in LEA plans consistent with the ARP ESSER
requirements for the use of ARP ESSER funds, how the SEA will require such
plans to be made available to the public, and the deadline by which the LEA must
submit its ARP ESSER plan (which must be a reasonable timeline and should be
within no later than 90 days after receiving its ARP ESSER allocation). The LEA
plans must include, at a minimum:
i. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement
prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent
practicable, in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to
continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning;
ii. How the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1)
of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of
lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based
interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment,
extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended
school year programs;
iii. How the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent
with section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act; and
iv. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements,
including but not limited to the interventions under section
2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional,
and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those
students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,
including students from low-income families, students of color,
English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory
students.
E.1. The WVDE developed the ARP ESSERF Application Process (Appendix D) which outlines LEA
requirements for LEA ARP ESSER plans. The process includes:
1. ARP ESSER Technical Application Webinar to review application requirements and fiscal
requirements.
2. An initial grant award (May 24, 2021) to each LEA containing 25% of their ARP ESSER
allocation – in compliance with the requirement to make funds available within 60 days of
the SEA receiving funds.
3. In-person presentation, by each LEA, to explain their ARP ESSER plans to a WVDE leadership
team representing multiple relevant program areas.
28
4. Submission of an ARP ESSER Application within the WVDE’s electronic Grants and Planning
System (GPS) including a detailed budget, digital copies of the LEA’s ARP ESSER plan
presentation, public comment log, Construction Assurances (if applicable) and ARP ESSER
Construction Addendum (if applicable). Deadline for this submission is August 1, 2021.
5. Release of a revised grant award making 100% of the allocation available to LEAs with
approved applications.
The items in E.1.i-iv. must be covered in the LEA ARP ESSER presentation and ARP ESSER
Application in GPS before the WVDE will approve the application and revised the LEA grant
award making 100% of the funding available.
2. LEA Consultation: Describe how the SEA will, in planning for the use of ARP
ESSER funds, ensure that, consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements], its
LEAs engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including, but not
limited to:
i. students;
ii. families;
iii. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators); and
iv. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions.
The LEA must also engage in meaningful consultation with each of the following
to the extent present in or served by the LEA:
i. Tribes;
ii. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
and
iii. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.
The description must also include how the SEA will ensure that LEAs provide the
public the opportunity to provide input in the development of the LEA’s plan for
the use of ARP ESSER funds and take such input into account.
E.2. Pages 3-10 of the ARP ESSERF Application Process provides LEAs with a guide to planning
for effective use of ARP ESSER funding. This guide includes the inclusion of stakeholder input.
In addition, page 13 of the document provides the requirements for the ARP ESSER public
comment process. Each LEA must upload a digital copy of their ARP ESSER public comment log
to their ARP ESSER Application in GPS.
Within the approval process, the WVDE will review each LEA ARP ESSERF Application to ensure
that the LEA has engaged in meaningful consultation with each of the following to the extent
present in or served by the LEA:
• Tribes (not applicable because there are no tribal governments residing in the State of West
Virginia)
29
• Civil rights organizations (state or local organizations)
• Stakeholders representing the interest of children at risk (local DHHR Offices, Prosecutors,
Police Resource Officers, local homeless shelters, Communities In Schools Site Coordinators,
LEA Coordinators for ESEA programs representing students with disabilities, English
learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care and other
underserved youth)
3. Describe how the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP ESSER
funds. The description must include:
i. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs’ implementation of
evidence-based interventions that respond to students’ academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs, such as through summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive
afterschool programs, or extended school year programs – including
the extent to which the SEA will collect evidence of the
effectiveness of interventions employed;
E.3.i. The WVDE will support LEA implementation of evidence-based interventions through
technical assistance delivered by WVDE program staff and TACs.
The WVDE is developing standardized data collection tools for extended learning programs that
will be used for in-school, afterschool and summer program interventions beginning in the
2021-2022 school year. Summer 2021 data will be collected from individual county developed
progress reports because time did not permit the development of well vetted collection tools.
These tools will be used to monitor implementation of required ARP ESSER interventions.
In addition, the WVDE Office of Federal Programs and Support will include ARP ESSER
monitoring indicators in the annual review of LEA Strategic Plans (part of the ESEA Consolidated
Application) and cyclical ESEA Consolidated Monitoring.
ii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in specifically
addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on certain groups of students, including each of the student groups
listed in question A.3.i.-viii; and
E.3.ii. The WVDE standardized data collection tools will, to the extent possible, connect with
the WVEIS database which will allow for the disaggregation of data by subgroup. This will allow
the LEAs to analyze and monitor subgroup performance and progress.
WVDE program staff and TACs working with specific student subgroups will provide assistance
to LEAs with significant subgroup concerns.
30
iii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP
ESSER funds to identify, reengage, and support students most likely
to have experienced the impact of lost instructional time on student
learning, such as:
a. Students who have missed the most in-person instruction during
the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years;
b. Students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school building closures; and
c. Students most at-risk of dropping out of school.
E.3.iii. The WVDE and the LEAs will focus on the data sets listed in D.1.ii. and target programs
toward students identified as unsuccessful based on those data sets. It is expected, based on
preliminary data, that the students who have missed the most in-person instruction and did not
consistently participate in remote instruction will be among the students targeted for
interventions; however, that is not an exclusive factor for selection.
For many years, LEAs have implemented focused interventions for students most at-risk of
dropping out of school. This practice will continue and the capacity that has been developed
for that purpose will be augmented with the ARP ESSER resources.
The WVDE is developing standardized data collection tools for extended learning programs that
will be used for in-school, afterschool and summer program interventions beginning in the
2021-2022 school year. To the extent possible based on available instructional mode data for
2020-2021, the data will be reported based on the categories of students most likely to have
experienced the impact of lost instructional time. These data will be incorporated into the
State’s electronic platform for LEA and school strategic planning as a part of the Comprehensive
Needs Assessment. LEAs and schools will be required to analyze the data and adjust strategic
action steps to continually improve the targeting and impact of their intervention strategies.
The WVDE monitors LEA strategic plans annually and will provide feedback to the plan and offer
relevant technical assistance based on the strategies and action steps selected by each LEA.
4. Describe the extent to which the SEA will support its LEAs in implementing
additional strategies for taking educational equity into account in expending ARP
ESSER funds, including but not limited to:
i. Allocating funding both to schools and for districtwide activities
based on student need, and
ii. Implementing an equitable and inclusive return to in-person
instruction. An inclusive return to in-person instruction includes, but
is not limited to, establishing policies and practices that avoid the
over-use of exclusionary discipline measures (including in- and out-
of-school suspensions) and creating a positive and supportive
learning environment for all students.
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E.4.i-ii. In February 2021, the West Virginia Board of Education, WVDE, and the Herbert
Henderson Office of Minority Affairs announced the WV Public Education Equity Partnership.
With leadership from Office of Minority Affairs Executive Director Jill Upson, the WVBE and the
State’s educational leaders, this partnership provides supports and research-proven methods to
all LEAs and schools to promote school environments that ensure no student is placed at a
disadvantage, and all students have the opportunity to learn.
The WVDE will support and implement regulations and/or guidance provided by the U.S.
Department of Education regarding Maintenance of Equity as required by the ARP Act.
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce
The Department recognizes the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the Nation’s
educators as well as students. In this section, SEAs will describe strategies for supporting and
stabilizing the educator workforce and for making staffing decisions that will support
students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce:
i. Describe the extent to which the State is facing shortages of
educators, education administration personnel, and other school
personnel involved in safely reopening schools, and the extent to
which they vary by region/type of school district and/or groups of
educators (e.g., special educators and related services personnel and
paraprofessionals; bilingual or English as a second language
educators; science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”)
educators; career and technical education (“CTE”) educators; early
childhood educators). Cite specific data on shortages and needs
where available.
Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as
needed, or provide a narrative description.
Table F1.
Area Data on Narrative description
shortages/needs
Data is based on the number of staff on a 1st Class/Full-time Permit for Professional
Teaching, Student Support & Administration.
Special educators and 382 Special education is the highest shortage area state-
related service wide. The shortage is more than twice the shortage
personnel and of the second priority area.
paraprofessionals
Bilingual educators 14 Many WV LEAs utilize WV Virtual Schools to deliver
world language courses which alleviates the need
for certified teachers at the school level.
32
Area Data on Narrative description
shortages/needs
English as a second 0
language educators
STEM educators 62 This would include positions requiring certification
in science, technology, or math.
CTE educators 138 It is difficult to get qualified individuals to leave the
private sector for lower paying teaching positions
(i.e. nurses, welders).
Early childhood 4
educators
School counselors 63
Social workers WVDE does not license Social Workers.
Nurses 44
School psychologists 6
ii. Describe how the SEA will assist its LEAs in identifying the most
urgent areas of shortages or potential shortages, with particular plans
for individual LEAs facing the most significant needs (e.g., by
avoiding layoffs, providing high-quality professional learning
opportunities, and addressing the impact of stress or trauma on
educators). Include a description of how other Federal COVID-19
funding (e.g., ESSER and GEER funds under the CARES Act and
CRRSA Act) have already been used to avoid layoffs during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
F.1.ii. Currently, the WVDE does not have formal mechanisms to assist LEAs in identifying
urgent and potential teacher shortage areas. However, the WVDE can provide LEAs assistance
in the analysis of staffing data from the WV Certified List of Personnel submitted in the second
month of each year along with certified student enrollment data. This analysis can provide data
on the number and trends related to teaching positions that have been filled with teachers who
are not fully certified in the content areas for which they have been employed. This is an area
of focus in which the WVDE can improve through use of ESSER resources.
Many LEAs will use ESSER funding to avoid reductions in force that would have been required
due to dropping enrollment numbers. In addition, many LEAs will use ESSER funding to employ
additional staff to support smaller class sizes/promote better social distancing. The WVDE has
provided suggestions for broadening the qualifications for job postings, to the extent possible,
and conducting a wide search for applicants to ensure that an adequate candidate pool will be
available for these new positions.
The WVDE has made LEAs aware that ESSER funds may be used to support mental health
services and programs for staff to address the impact of COVID-19 stress or trauma. The State
has many programs that promote and fund Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH) programs
33
and one of the Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) will also be available to assist LEAs in making
plans to support staff and students with these concerns.
iii. Describe the actions the SEA will take to fill anticipated gaps in
certified teachers for the start of the 2021-2022 school year and to
what extent the SEA will further support its LEAs in expanding the
educator pipeline and educator diversity while addressing the
immediate needs of students disproportionately impacted by the
pandemic (e.g., recruiting teaching candidates to provide high-
dosage tutoring or implementing residencies for teacher candidates).
Click here to enter text.
F.1.iii. The State Superintendent of Schools and the Chancellor of the WV Higher Education
Policy Commission (HEPC) has established the Educator Preparation Taskforce to clearly define
and address the multifaceted teacher shortage challenges facing West Virginia. The Taskforce’s
work will inform the West Virginia Board of Education and the State Legislature as they set
policy on teacher preparation.
To address immediate concerns related to providing an adequate educator workforce during
the pandemic, the following strategies have been deployed:
• Increasing the Substitute Teacher Pool - Partnering with HEPC, the WVDE developed a
temporary program allowing college students finishing their education degrees to serve as
substitute teachers. This helped alleviate some of the burden created by quarantine
requirements and illness that removed teachers from the classrooms.
• West Virginia Residency Model – West Virginia is working toward a 2021 implementation of
the residency model for teacher preparation.
• Optional Pathway to Teacher Certification – In March of 2021, the State Legislature created
a third option for acquiring a Professional Teaching Certificate which went into effective on
May 27, 2021.
• West Virginia Department of Education Teacher Academy – is designed to support teachers
new to the profession using research-based materials and instructional strategies aligned to
the West Virginia Professional Teacher Standards.
The WVDE has provided technical assistance to LEAs in determining appropriate ways to utilize
ESSER funding to keep staff employed despite dropping enrollment that would have led to
reductions in force. The WVDE has also encouraged LEAs to use ESSER funding to employ
additional staff (teachers, professional support, paraprofessional and service personnel) who
can provide various support to meet student needs.
2. Staffing to Support Student Needs: Describe the extent to which the SEA has
developed or will develop strategies and will support its LEAs in increasing
student access to key support staff within school buildings, including school
counselors, special education personnel, nurses, social workers, and psychologists
34
(e.g. hiring additional personnel or freeing up these staff to focus on providing
services to students).
F.2. The WVDE has provided extensive assistance, through the Communities In Schools (CIS)
program to assist LEAs in the selection and training of various professional support staff
positions. This support will increase through the development of the new WVDE TAC for
Student Support and Well-being.
In addition, the WVDE, in partnership with the WVDHHR and the WVDE TAC for Behavioral and
Mental Health, supports LEAs in the implementation of Expanded School Based Mental Health.
Several LEAs have funded projects through a variety of funding sources that place mental
health service providers in schools. These models will be used to show other LEAs how they
can increase provision of mental health services with ESSER funds.
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress
The Department recognizes that transparency on how ARP ESSER funds are used and their
impact on the Nation’s education system is a fundamental responsibility of Federal, State,
and local government. In this section, SEAs will describe how they are building capacity at
the SEA and LEA levels to ensure high-quality data collection and reporting and to safeguard
funds for their intended purposes.
1. Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting: It is important for an SEA to
continuously monitor progress and make adjustments to its strategies, as well as
to support its LEAs in making adjustments to LEA strategies, based on impact.
Describe how the SEA will ensure its capacity and the capacity of its LEAs to
collect data on reporting requirements, including but not limited to the examples
of reporting requirements described in the SEA’s Grant Award Notification (listed
in Appendix B). Describe the SEA’s capacity and strategy to collect data from its
LEAs (disaggregated by student group, where applicable), to the greatest extent
practicable, including any steps the SEA will take to build its capacity in the
future (which may include the use of ARP ESSER and other Federal COVID-19
pandemic funds at the SEA and LEA levels), on issues that may include the
following:
i. Student learning, including the academic impact of lost instructional
time during the COVID-19 pandemic;
ii. Opportunity to learn measures (e.g., chronic absenteeism; student
engagement; use of exclusionary discipline; access to and
participation in advanced coursework; access to technology,
including educator access to professional development on the
effective use of technology; access to high-quality educators; access
to school counselors, social workers, nurses, and school
psychologists; and results from student, parent, and/or educator
surveys);
iii. Fiscal data that is comparable across the State (e.g., per-pupil
expenditures at the LEA and school levels);
35
iv. Jobs created and retained (by position type);
v. Participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER resources (e.g.,
summer and afterschool programs); and
vi. Other reporting requirements reasonably required by the Secretary
(please refer to Appendix B of this template; final requirements will
be issued separately).
G.1. The WVDE and its LEAs have the capacity to comply with ARP ESSER reporting
requirements. The WVDE administers and supports a statewide student information system, the West
Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS). All local education agencies (LEAs) are required by law
to use this system to maintain detailed student education records, including demographic characteristic,
enrollment status, academic schedules and grades, and other relevant information. WVEIS data
collections are used in the State’s ESEA Accountability System which already includes:
• Academic performance on the WV General Summative Assessment;
• Chronic absenteeism;
• Discipline; and
• Advance coursework.
WVEIS data collections also include:
• Per-pupil expenditures at the LEA and school levels;
• Access to technology;
• Access to high-quality educators and other staff; and
• Jobs created and retained.
The WVDE will convene the WVEIS Advisory Committee and a representative group of LEA Chief
Instructional Leaders to determine the best methods to collect data on:
• Student learning (other than state level assessment), including the academic impact of lost
instructional time;
• Student social emotional learning needs;
• Student engagement
• Participation in programs funded ESSER (summer and afterschool); and
• Other items reasonably required by the Secretary of Education.
The additional data elements will be collected, to the extent possible, through WVEIS so that data can
be analyzed at the subgroup level and contribute to the school and LEA strategic planning process.
2. Monitoring and Internal Controls: Describe how the SEA will implement
appropriate fiscal monitoring of and internal controls for the ARP ESSER funds
(e.g., by updating the SEA’s plan for monitoring funds and internal controls under
the CARES and CRRSA Acts; addressing potential sources of waste, fraud, and
abuse; conducting random audits; or other tools). In this response, please describe
the SEA’s current capacity to monitor ARP ESSER; steps, if needed, to increase
capacity; and any foreseeable gaps in capacity, including how the SEA will
provide its LEAs with technical assistance in the anticipated areas of greatest
need.
36
G.2. The WVDE Office of Federal Programs and Support proposes to monitor all ESSERF grants
to LEAs as follows:
1. Each of the State’s LEAs will submit an ESSERF Application through the WVDE Grants and
Planning System (GPS) platform. This will allow the WVDE to monitor for the allowability of
proposed grant activities and compliance with equitable services allocation rules (ESSER I
only). In addition, LEAs will upload documents related to federal requirements for pre-
approval of construction projects and the WVDE will document pre-approval within GPS.
2. The WVDE E-grants system and financial drawdown system provides detailed expenditure
information to monitor the allowability of expenditures and the extent to which LEAs spent
funding as they proposed within their applications.
3. The WVDE’s financial system, used by all LEAs, also provides the mechanism for LEAs to
request, and the WVDE to approve, line-item transfers throughout the grant period.
4. The WVDE monitors the provision of equitable services to non-public schools by reviewing
equitable services allocation processes through the ESSERF Application in GPS and collects
Meaningful Consultation documentation through uploads in the system. The WVDE
Ombudsman receives concerns from private schools related to equitable services and works
with both parties to resolve concerns and assure that equitable services are provided in a
timely and effective manner.
5. The WVDE will monitor LEA fund balances for this program quarterly to identify LEAs that
are lagging in use of funding to assure that all funds are spend in a timely manner.
6. The WVDE will monitor LEA internal controls through the cyclical ESEA Consolidated
Monitoring process as the Uniform Grant Guidance requirements are the same.
7. The WVDE will monitor program progress through annual review of LEA strategic plans, the
ESEA Accountability system and various program progress reports for specific interventions
supported through WVDE TACs.
37
Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template
Indicate the date or time period represented by the following data.
Table 1
In the most recent time period available, how many schools in your State offered each mode of
instruction or learning model described below? Each row should account for all schools in your
State, so that, for each row, the sum of the numbers in the “offered to all students,” “offered to
some students,” and “not offered” columns is equal to the number in the “all schools” column.
School counts below were collected for each week within the second 9-week grading period of
the 2020-2021 school year, extending from November 9, 2020 through January 11, 2021. All
schools in the state represented in the counts made full-time virtual instruction available to all
students. Regardless of remote, blended/hybrid, or in-person instructional mode, all schools
offered all students a full-time virtual learning option. The estimated percent of students at
each school opting for full-time virtual learning ranged from:
Elementary Instructional Level 0.0% to 85.5%
Middle Instructional Level 0.0% to 64.9%
Secondary Instructional Level 0.0% to 65.5%
School counts of “remote or online only” in Table 1.a. reflect the number of schools for which
only remote learning was documented for each week of the nine-week period. Students in
these schools otherwise would have received in-person instruction one or more days per week
when school facilities were open. All other schools were operating on various combinations of
blended/hybrid and in-person instructional models.
Table 1.a.
All Instructional Levels
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 52 52 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 625 625 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 0 0 0 0
instruction
Elementary Instructional Level
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 32 32 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 305 305 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 0 0 0 0
instruction
Middle Instructional Level
38
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 13 13 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 140 140 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 0 0 0 0
instruction
Secondary Instructional Levels (Includes Career Technical Centers)
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 9 9 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 142 142 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 0 0 0 0
instruction
To illustrate the fluid nature of school operations in response to COVID-19, a more recent
snapshot (i.e. as of April 9, 2021) instructional mode by school grade level is provided Table 1.b.
As with Table 1.a., all schools in the state at the time of this snapshot made full-time virtual
instruction available to all students. The significant increase in school buildings open with full-
time in-person instruction at the time of this snapshot is due to the January 13, 2021, directive
by the West Virginia Board of Education requiring the return to in-person instruction for PreK-
12 schools. Waivers were granted to 16 LEAs to provide 4-day in-person instructional weeks;
reserving the fifth day for teachers to focus on students choosing remote instruction. The other
39 LEAs have been providing 5-day in-person instruction since February 2021.
Table 1.b.
All Instructional Levels
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 0 0 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 143 143
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 534 534
instruction
Elementary and Middle Instructional Levels
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote 0 0 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 106 106 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 420 420 0 0
instruction
39
Secondary Instructional Levels (Includes Career Technical Centers)
All schools Offered to all Offered to some Not offered
students students
Remote or online only 0 0 0 0
School buildings open with both remote/online 37 37 0 0
and in-person instruction (hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time in-person 114 114 0 0
instruction
To the extent data are available, please complete the above table for 1) all schools in the State,
and 2) separately for each instructional level (e.g., pre-kindergarten/elementary schools, middle
schools, high schools).
Table 2
In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the
schools in your State?
Add or change rows as needed
Number of students Both remote/online and Full-time in-
Total Virtual/ in-person instruction person
enrollment online only† (hybrid) instruction
Students from low-income families 132,081 22,080 19,104 90,897
White, not Hispanic 223,600 34,297 33,548 155,755
Black or African American, not Hispanic 10,302 1,780 509 8,013
Hispanic, of any race 5,087 720 262 4,105
Asian, not Hispanic 1,588 436 68 1,084
American Indian or Alaskan Native, not 201 38 11 152
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, not 111 29 3 79
Hispanic
Two or more races, not Hispanic 9,705 1,459 634 7,612
Race/Ethnicity information not available 0 0 0 0
English learners 1,752 220 75 1,457
Children with disabilities 46,890 6,296 6,377 34,217
Students experiencing homelessness 8,842 1,251 2,255 5,336
Children and youth in foster care ** NA NA NA NA
Migratory students 0 0 0 0
† As noted above, all schools in West Virginia made full-time virtual instruction available to all
students during the most recent time period for which information is available. The
information in Table 2 reflects estimates of student counts receiving full-time virtual/online
40
instruction for the time period. All other students were on various combinations of
blended/hybrid and in-person instructional models.
** Information about children and youth in foster care is collected and certified by WV
Department of Health and Human Resources at the end of the school year.
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Appendix B: School Recovery and Guidance Document
42
School
Recovery
& Guidance
SUMMER 2021
West Virginia Board of Education
2020-2021
Miller L. Hall, President
Thomas W. Campbell, CPA, Vice President
F. Scott Rotruck, Financial Officer
Robert W. Dunlevy, Member
A. Stanley Maynard, Ed.D., Member
Daniel D. Snavely, M.D., Member
Debra K. Sullivan, Member
Nancy J. White, Member
James S. Wilson, D.D.S., Member
Sarah Armstrong Tucker, Ph.D., Ex Officio
Chancellor
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education
W. Clayton Burch, Ex Officio
State Superintendent of Schools
West Virginia Department of Education
VACCINATION INFORMATION
Health officials are administering the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in West Virginia to help
protect against COVID-19. Vaccines are important to:
» Protect population against virus spread, especially the most vulnerable;
» Reduce deaths and hospitalizations; and
» Maintain critical services and acute care.
Designated as a high priority by Governor Jim Justice, school employees received the vaccine ahead of most of the
general population to assist in the return of in-person instruction. There are three vaccines authorized in the U.S.
and administered in West Virginia: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Both Moderna and Pfizer require two
rounds of shots while the Johnson & Johnson is a single dose.
Vaccine Second Dose Administration:
PFIZER MODERNA
mRNA COVID-19
JOHNSON &
JOHNSON
mRNA COVID-19 mRNA COVID-19
21 days 28 days 2nd dose not required
It is not possible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine because it does not contain a live virus. Instead, it causes the
body to produce antibodies against the virus.
Upon receiving the second dose, immunity usually occurs after 10 to 14 days. It is possible for an individual to be
infected until full immunity occurs.
For complete vaccine information provided by the DHHR, visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/Vaccine.aspx
or contact the COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line at 1-833-734-0965 with questions. If a school or county wishes to host
vaccine clinics, please contact Michele Blatt at mlblatt@k12.wv.us.
Launching the #IGotVaxxedWV Campaign
As a response to the declining rate of individuals receiving
vaccinations statewide, the West Virginia Department of Education
launched its #IGotVaxxedWV campaign to encourage students
12 and older to get their COVID-19 vaccine. The campaign includes a series of videos and social media graphics
with testimonials from school personnel and students who share their reasons for getting vaccinated. The
campaign will continue through fall 2021 to educate students about the benefits of getting vaccinated in hopes
of returning to a typical school year with in-person instructions.
West Virginia Schools | School Recovery & Guidance Document 3
RECOVERY PROTOCOLS AND KEY MITIGATIONS
On March 25, 2021, all pre-k through grade 12 students returned to school five days each week. Mitigation
strategies effectively implemented are shown to decrease incidents of virus spread. County and school leaders
should follow the mitigation strategies below relevant to the latest Governor’s Executive Orders, CDC guidance,
and county board of education requirements.
Six Key Mitigations
Cleaning and Hand hygiene and coughing/ Evaluate large gatherings outside
disinfecting sneezing etiquette of classroom/core groups
Social distancing according Face coverings at Contact tracing in collaboration
to county board guidance county board discretion with local health departments
Six Key Mitigation Strategies
Cleaning and Disinfecting
» Audit necessary materials and supply chain for cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and
preventing spread of disease.
» Assign duties and responsibilities regarding cleaning and disinfecting to ensure consistency.
» Provide adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (e.g., paper towels, tissues,
soap, and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol) for safe use by staff and older children.
» Ensure proper cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces on a regular basis by
establishing a schedule for routine environmental cleaning and disinfecting.
» Disinfect all shared objects on a regular basis.
» Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfecting products.
» Limit sharing of personal items and classroom materials or provide adequate supplies
for individual student use.
West Virginia Schools | School Recovery & Guidance Document 4
Hand Hygiene and Coughing/Sneezing Etiquette
» Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or
the safe use of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
› Before
• Eating or preparing food
• Touching your face
› After
• Using the restroom
• Coughing, sneezing, or blowing nose
• Changing a diaper
• Caring for someone sick
• Touching animals
› Encourage staff and students to cough and sneeze into their elbows, or to cover
with a tissue.
› Ensure that used tissues are thrown in the trash and hands are washed immediately
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or cleaned with hand sanitizer.
Evaluate Large Gatherings Outside of Classrooms/Core Groups
» Evaluate activities that involve bringing together large groups of people or activities
that do not allow adequate spacing.
» Develop plans in consultation with local public health officials regarding after-school or
community events.
Social Distancing
» Keep students and teachers in small core groups as much as possible during the day.
» Review current practices throughout the school day according to county board of
education guidance.
Face Coverings
» CDC recently released guidance on the ability of fully vaccinated people to resume
pre-pandemic activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing. Any mask
requirements are at the discretion of county boards of education.
Contact Tracing with Local Health Department
» For cases requiring quarantining, review class, bus, and cafeteria seating charts, and
only quarantine students who were within six feet of an infected person as opposed to
quarantining an entire class and sending students home unnecessarily.
» Consider hiring someone (service employee, part-time, or contract with health
department or other agency) at the school to collaborate/coordinate with the local
health department and the central office to conduct school level contact tracing.
West Virginia Schools | School Recovery & Guidance Document 5
QUARANTINE GUIDANCE
Option 1 » Day 0*-10 quarantine for close contacts can end if no symptoms
Quarantine period can end after develop during daily self-monitoring without testing.
Day 10 without testing and if no » If an individual develops symptoms within the quarantine period,
symptoms have been identified immediately isolate and contact the local health department to
during daily self-monitoring. report change in clinical status.
Post-quarantine transmission
risk: 1%-10%
Option 2 » Day 0*-7 quarantine for close contact can end if COVID-19 test is
Quarantine period can end after negative and if no symptoms develop during daily self-monitoring.
Day 7 if someone tests negative » Specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the
(PCR or antigen test) and if no time of planned quarantine discontinuation.
symptoms have been identified » Self-monitoring and mask wearing should be continuous.
during daily self-monitoring.
» If an individual develops symptoms within the quarantine period,
Post-quarantine transmission
immediately isolate and contact public health to report change in
risk: 5%-12
clinical status.
*Duration of quarantine applies from the last date of exposure
Monitoring and Handling of Presumptive, Suspected, and Confirmed Cases
Schools and counties are required to:
» Educate staff, students, and their families about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, when they should stay
home, and when they can return to school.
» Establish a dedicated space for symptomatic individuals that will not be used for other purposes.
› Immediately isolate symptomatic individuals to the designated area at the school and send them home
to isolate.
› Ensure symptomatic students are isolated for a short period of time, in a non-threatening manner and
under the visual supervision of a staff member who is socially distanced to the greatest extent possible
while wearing appropriate PPE.
West Virginia Schools | School Recovery & Guidance Document 6
Appendix C: WVDE Public Comment Log
Public Comment Log – July 2021
West Virginia Department of Education Plan for the
American Rescue Plan – Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER)
Comment #1:
Name: Maria Matthews
Organization: New Classrooms Innovation Partners
Title: Director, Policy & Advocacy
City/State: New York, NY
Posted: 2021-06-24 16:22:37
New Classrooms appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback on the West Virginia ARP State plan.
We are a national nonprofit on a mission to personalize education to support and advocate for policies
that truly enable schools to meet each student’s unique strengths and needs and provide an equitable
environment for every student. Our organization is actively engaged in building capacity for innovative
learning models, supporting demand, and creating some space for new approaches to teaching and
learning that ultimately yield better results for students.
We strongly encourage the inclusion of Innovation Zones among the recommended programs to address
unfinished learning, as the state of Texas has done and several other states are now proposing as part of
their ARP plans (for an example, on page 39 of North Dakota’s plan
https://www.nd.gov/dpi/sites/www/files/documents/Covid-
19/ESSER%20III/ARPESSERStatePlanFINAL.pdf or page 32 of Montana’s plan
http://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Montana_ARP_ESSER_State_Plan_Final.pdf?ver=2021-06-08-103621-
223). Innovation Zones provide a state framework to solve unfinished learning by ensuring all students
master college and career ready standards, but not through a uniform, grade level-structure. Districts
and schools who are accepted into the innovation zone are incentivized to focus on comprehensive
learning growth for multiple years across a grade span—instead of the traditional approach of states
centering only on a summative assessment of grade-level performance in order for students to
accelerate their learning to ultimately master grade level standards.
Within an Innovation Zone model, the state is responsible for facilitating connections between schools
and providers, and building a stronger system that requires all parties to demonstrate sustained,
positive results as students master the standards over time. These Zones allow states to develop a
unique approach to reimagine school while introducing new mechanisms for personalization and shared
accountability for results. In addition to reviewing our summary on Innovations Zones
(https://newclassrooms.org/wp-content/uploads/Math-Innovation-Zones-ESSER-and-ARP.pdf), we
encourage you to see how the Texas Education Agency put Math Innovation Zones
(https://tea.texas.gov/academics/learning-support-and-programs/math-innovation-zones) into
practice.
Thank you for the consideration of our feedback and hope to be a resource to you on this topic as you
revise your ARP plan and prepare for the upcoming school year.
43
Appendix D: West Virginia Department of Education ARP ESSERF
Application Process and Construction Application Addendum Documents
44
American Rescue Plan
Elementary and Secondary
Schools Emergency Relief
Funding (ARP ESSERF)
Application Process
May – July 2021
West Virginia Board of Education
2020-2021
Miller L. Hall, President
Thomas W. Campbell, CPA, Vice President
F. Scott Rotruck, Financial Officer
Robert W. Dunlevy, Member
A. Stanley Maynard, Ph.D., Member
Daniel D. Snavely, M.D., Member
Debra K. Sullivan, Member
Nancy J. White, Member
James S. Wilson, D.D.S., Member
Sarah Armstrong Tucker, Ph.D., Ex Officio
Chancellor
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education
W. Clayton Burch, Ex Officio
State Superintendent of Schools
West Virginia Department of Education
Table of Contents
Procedures to Complete the Application Process....................................................................................................................2
Guide to Planning for Effective Use of ARP ESSERF.................................................................................................................3
Application Technical Assistance Meeting.................................................................................................................................11
Plan Presentation Checklist. .............................................................................................................................................................12
Public Comment Process. ...................................................................................................................................................................13
1
Procedures to Complete the Application Process for the
American Rescue Plan Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund (ARP ESSERF)
Grants
May – July 2021
The WVDE will utilize a five-step process to issue ARP ESSERF Grants to county boards of education in
the spring/summer of 2021. This new process is being utilized for this grant because:
» ARP ESSERF allocations are significant in amount and county school systems need to utilize this
funding to initiate activities that will make significant pandemic recovery progress during the next
three years;
» There are three new required funding elements in the ARP ESSERF grant that were not in ESSERF 1
or ESSERF 2 which will require more attention in the grant application review process; and
» Various WVDE offices have received questions from county staff related to uses of ARP ESSERF
allocations and the WVDE wants to provide cross-agency technical assistance related to each
county’s overall plan for ARP ESSERF expenditures during the county planning process to assure
that consistent guidance is provided to all counties.
The five-step process is as follows:
1. Technical Application Webinar – This will provide information on the technical aspects of the GPS
application for ARP ESSERF and the rules related to procurement with these federal funds.
May 17, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Microsoft Teams meeting - Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only) - +1 304-553-7794,,509232421# United States, Charleston
Phone Conference ID: 509 232 421#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
Learn More | Meeting options
2. Issuance of Preliminary Grant Award – Each county will receive 25% of their ARP ESSERF allocation
in an initial grant award on or before May 24, 2021.
3. County Leadership Team Presentation of ARP ESSERF Plans – This will involve a face-to-face
meeting between county ARP ESSERF planning team members and WVDE cross-agency teams.
County staff will present their plans for ARP ESSERF activities and WVDE team members will
provide feedback and technical assistance regarding grant allowability and best practices related
to county identified needs. A planning guidance document and presentation format will be
provided.
4. County Completes ARP ESSERF Application in the Grants & Planning System (GPS) – This will
involve county staff entering narratives to describe the activities that will be funded by the
ARP ESSERF grants and allocating the funds by function/object codes within the budget. The
submission deadline for this application is August 1, 2021. The final approval process may require
corrections and resubmissions.
5. Full Allocations will be Awarded – Preliminary ARP ESSERF grant awards will be revised to add the
remaining 75% of the allocation as each county grant application is approved.
2
Guide to Planning for Effective Use of
American Rescue Plan Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Funding
(ARP ESSERF)
Adapted with permission from Recovery Planning Framework - Southern Regional Education
Board (sreb.org)
This document provides a guide for the expected planning process that county school systems will use
to successfully complete an application for an ARP ESSERF grant. The application process will include
a feedback/technical assistance meeting with a WVDE cross-agency team to assure allocation and
implementation plans are maximizing ARP ESSERF funding to achieve the greatest outcomes for the
state’s students. The WVDE will continually measure and report all ESSERF grant progress in terms of
student success outcomes throughout the ESSERF funding cycles (ending September 2024).
PHASE 1: PLANNING
Effective implementation of an ARP ESSERF grant will require your school system to have a quality
strategic plan and vision that establishes a focus for using a short-term infusion of significant
federal funding to impact long-term student success. This document is purposefully designed to
help counties build on existing strategic plans and planning processes.
The WVDE is not requiring the ARP ESSERF grant goals and strategies to be incorporated into the
county strategic plan because it is expected that there will be goals and strategies in the ARP
ESSERF plans that are 1) specific to this funding purpose (pandemic safety measures and/or
building improvement projects); 2) short term in nature; and 3) not directly connected to student
learning and outcomes. However, it is important that county school systems have consistent
student success goals, strategies and progress measures in both their county strategic plans and
their ARP ESSERF grant. For example:
» County strategic plans for the 2021-2022 school year should include analysis in the Needs
Assessment section that references the learning gaps and social emotional concerns
identified since the start of the pandemic with data from local collection processes to
support the analysis. It is important to note that the state level data provided in the Needs
Assessment section is lacking for the 2021-2022 plan because of the pause in assessment and
accountability in the 2019-2020 school year so the review of additional local data is critical for
this plan.
» County strategic plans should have goals and strategies that articulate the action steps that
will be implemented to address those learning gaps and social emotional concerns.
» County school systems should have clearly defined progress measures in their strategic plan
that will also give them feedback on the impact of their ARP ESSERF grant.
3
Use a Team Approach to Planning – Utilize your existing leadership team to develop your ARP
ESSERF plan/key strategies to be included in your grant application. These individuals need to
represent all categories and interests related to your county school system (curriculum, special
education, federal programs, facilities and operations, finance) and share a common purpose — to
make school successful for all students. Team members have the following responsibilities:
» Gathering authentic stakeholder input as needed throughout the needs assessment process,
» Contributing to the development of the strategies to be included in the grant application, and
» Supporting implementation of grant activities.
Use Data – Use readily available data to identify immediate needs. Sources may include, but are
not limited to, the following:
» State and federal ESSER guidance documents
» Most recent county and school strategic plans
» Student and faculty attendance records
» Semester and end of year grades and state/county assessment scores
» Public health and social support data
» Technology use reports
Identify Immediate Needs in Three Focus Areas – Determine how to allocate funds for immediate
needs in the following three areas:
1. Learning Recovery and Innovation
2. Health and Safety
3. Infrastructure
1. Learning Recovery and Innovation:
What can schools do to meet the needs of students?
» Social and emotional supports for students – School staff should use the spring, summer
and fall to reconnect with students and families who have all experienced some form of
loss and frustration during the pandemic. By connecting with students and families where
they are, and seeking to identify and address their concerns, schools can help build trust,
increase cooperation and avoid issues as the academic year progresses. Educators may feel
pressure to make up for unfinished learning from the academic disruption, but this should
not come at the expense of a focus on building relationships.
ESSERF considerations may include:
» Summer reconnection events, reviewing existing activities and schedules to determine how
daily or weekly relationship-building activities can be offered to students before schools open
in the fall.
» Stipends for faculty to collaborate with community social service partners.
» Salaries for social services staff to work with students and families affected by the pandemic,
with the understanding that these positions and salaries are timebound.
» Communities In Schools
» School Based Mental Health Services
4
» Academic supports for students – Learning should include opportunities for students to
master skills and reach new heights of achievement at every level, PK-12. Educators need
access to student achievement data to create, implement and scale grade-level learning
opportunities with built-in support for learning gaps. School curriculum teams charged
with addressing instruction and learning loss must consider how actions will be tested,
adopted broadly, adapted or abandoned. The pandemic has required educators to develop
and deliver instruction in new ways; some have worked well for certain groups of students.
Teams should consider how to use the stimulus funds to continue and improve innovative
instructional strategies that have worked well.
ESSERF considerations may include:
» Summer learning programs that allow students to address unfinished learning in all content
areas and begin taking advanced course work
» One-on-one tutoring or small group direct instruction may need to be planned (this may
include the hiring of additional staff)
» Assessment systems that include diagnostic assessments that educators can use to identify
mastered competencies
» On-line resources to assist students and families during evenings and weekends
» Robust before and after school programs to assist students with learning loss and through
individualized tutoring and support
» Assistive technology for students with disabilities
» Additional staff – teachers, paraprofessionals, tutors, assistants – to work with students in
classrooms alongside the classroom teacher or with small groups
What can schools do to meet the needs of staff?
» Social and emotional supports for staff – Just like students, school administrators and
staff need supports in place to help them address the loss, anxiety and health issues
experienced during the pandemic. Identifying faculty and staff needs may be difficult, but
school leaders should consider surveys and interviews to gather data that will guide the
development of appropriate supports.
ESSERF considerations may include:
» Staff mental health services and support
» Additional staff to assist with various responsibilities that divert their focus from teaching and
learning
5
» Professional learning for staff – An important priority of the planning team is to identify
the variety of professional learning needs for existing and new staff. Funds will need to be
allocated to help faculty develop the skills needed to deliver high-quality differentiated
instruction and develop plans to utilize additional staff in supportive and innovative
positions.
ESSERF considerations may include:
» Teacher stipends to attend the on-line West Virginia Forum for Teachers, August 2-6, 2021, and
other relevant professional learning activities
» Paid time for teachers to examine assessment data, identify learning gaps and plan
instructional units to address grade-level content and learning gaps simultaneously
throughout the school year
» Consistent long-term, research-based professional learning for educators that is aligned to
identified student academic recovery needs
2. Health and Safety
The physical health and well-being of students and staff should be the primary focus as school
staff work to maintain in-person instruction. School staff need to communicate and promote
healthy practices at school and across the community. Each county school system will need
to consider the needs in this area within their local context in consultation with local health
officials and other community partners that have been engaged in the local COVID-19 response
activities since the beginning of the pandemic. The planning team will need to consider the
following questions and include appropriate mitigation strategies within the grant application:
» What personal protective equipment is needed?
» Based on continually updated guidance, are there any additional mitigations measures that
the school system should implement?
» What health services/supports would improve the school system’s response to preventing
and responding to outbreaks?
ESSERF considerations may include:
» Replacement of PPE expendable supplies
» Additional staff or contract services to support COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and vaccination
activities
» Program marketing and support for COVID-19 testing and/or vaccination programs
6
3. Infrastructure and Facilities
There will be immediate needs for improving facilities and technology. The planning team
needs to consider the following when including these strategies in their grant application:
» Technology purchases: county survey data for needs related to technology upgrades and
replacement, costs for connectivity and installation of equipment, maintenance and upkeep,
training staff to properly use equipment, and inventory of related supplies.
» Local initiatives to expand broadband within the county: can the county school system
partner with other local organizations on these projects?
» Construction projects: compliance with federal bidding requirements, completion of the
project within the grant project period, and continued maintenance and service.
» Allowability of construction projects: does the project reduce the risk of environmental
health hazards and is the cost “reasonable and necessary”?
ESSERF considerations may include:
» HVAC systems and building improvements to reduce environmental health hazards
» Community broadband access projects
» Technology upgrades to improve synchronous virtual learning experiences
SREB’s Education Recovery Playbooks – Find helpful information for immedicate needs in K-12 Education
Recovery Playbook developed by SREB’s recovery task forces.
7
PHASE 2: SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT
School systems should balance addressing immediate needs with a look to the future as they
develop their ARP ESSERF grant application. In Phase Two, planning shifts from a focus on
bandaging immediate needs to curing long-term problems. While ARP ESSERF includes required
funds be set-aside for learning loss and extended learning (summer and afterschool), these are
minimums and the WVDE recommends that counties prioritize all funding for learning by focusing
on addressing the following broad areas identified in the ARP legislation:
1. Ensure the social-emotional health of students.
2. Address student unfinished learning as both an immediate and long-term priority.
3. Address concerns for equitable student opportunities magnified by increased use of
technology.
Identify Problems – The shift from immediate needs and stabilization to systemic improvement
does not mean a shift away from addressing problems. A key concern when federal funds are
provided at such a rapid rate is the danger of focusing too much time and energy on simply
spending the funds, not ensuring that specific problems are identified and addressed.
An early step in Phase One is identifying some type of needs assessment. Your county strategic
plan includes a needs assessment that should be the basis for ARP ESSERF planning. Note that the
addition of county level data will be critical to creating a true assessment of needs since much of
the state level data included in the plan has not been updated since prior to the pandemic and
it is expected that the pandemic has magnified the problems previously identified in your needs
assessment.
New funding sources do not mean a shift in the focus of work. Use your strategic plans, recent
audits or reviews, and other tools readily available as part of your improvement process. The
recovery funds provide an opportunity to build upon ideas already developed and expand
potential supports.
Solve Problems – This seems obvious but is often not the focus when funds need to be expended
quickly. Too often, wants replace needs with too little time spent on identifying problems and the
root causes or drivers of those problems. Your APR ESSERF team should use a problem-solving
mindset as plans are developed.
Establish Goals and Define Success – The establishment and communication of goals for success
are critical. The goals should be clear, include timelines and address both process changes
(changes in practices) and product goals (changes in achievement/student success). These
goals become the true North for the work and should ensure that funding results in the desired
outcomes.
As important as having the vision is, communicating that vision constantly and widely is
essential. The vision for success answers the why question that so often occurs during
improvement. The use of a distributed leadership model makes the communication of the vision
simpler. More people who are involved in the development of plans provide more people to
communicate the plans.
8
Be Innovative – The pandemic brought unique experiences that shook our educational
foundations. What some call the “new normal” requires problem solvers who are innovative
in identifying potential solutions. Simply doing more of the same, or expanding practices that
had limited results, will not address the needs of our students in this unique time. Innovative,
technology-infused ideas that use time and space in new ways will be critical. Teaching practices
and partnerships that worked during the pandemic need to be expanded. Consider the following:
» Unfinished Learning
› Consider acceleration over remediation. Slowing things down and using repetition — even
when infused with technology — may not have the impact of an acceleration mindset.
› Push students into advanced classes and provide supports for success on a large scale.
› Consider using funding for tutors who can become your pipeline for future teachers.
› Look at Career Technical Education courses that embed academics as a different way for
students to garner access to unfinished learning content.
» CTE and Arts and Science Programs
› Consider ways to use technology for direct instruction while using classroom time for
laboratory and hands-on opportunities missed during virtual learning.
› Expand the use of flipped classroom ideals to best embed technology.
» Social-Emotional Health
› Expand the community partnerships created in many communities that provided support to
students and faculty during the pandemic.
› Consider ways to build on these relationships to continue that support.
Two critical elements influence student effort from the earliest years through postsecondary:
purpose and relationships. Innovative ideas should ensure that students find purpose in learning
and in school. Relationships are a key to social-emotional health that also impact student
effort. Innovative plans should ensure that each student has positive relationships with adults
both in and outside the building.
Innovative actions should also strive to address equity. The pandemic magnified equity
concerns. The ARP ESSERF grant should be used to address educational equity in meaningful ways.
Monitor Progress – Define the leading and lagging indicators of success and determine how you
will monitor each. Constantly monitor the implementation process and the results. In January
of each year of ESSERF funding, counties will be required to provide progress data to the WVDE
regarding expenditures completed through September 30 of the previous year. Additional
information on project services and outcomes may also be requested dependent on directives of
the U.S. Department of Education.
County staff may use GPS to document progress in the Notes section connected to each Action
Step in the Strategic Plan. However, reporting for the U.S. Department of Education will be collected
through supplemental collection tools and will not be uploaded through GPS progress notes.
9
Build Sustainability – This once-in-a-lifetime level of funding needs to have an impact, many
years from now, but a funding cliff is inevitable. An essential element of each plan should include
a process to identify grant activities that warrant sustainability plans. It is not expected that every
funded activity would be sustained after the grant period ends; however, when counties determine
activities that warrant sustaining, county staff should develop plans to blend existing local, state
and federal funds or identify new funding sources to ensure sustainability of efforts. Additionally,
counties should build capacity within the organization to continue efforts, identify continuing
funding sources for positions having a positive impact, develop leadership capacity to support
instructional changes, and use community partnerships to sustain efforts.
Use this opportunity to expand staff as a strategy to address anticipated staff shortage areas
impacted by retirement and attrition during the grant period. Onboarding will require specialized
support programs to build new staff capacity. Create processes to onboard new staff which make
them aware of the school system’s vision and plans and create conditions that are conducive to
making these staff long-term contributing employees to the county.
Success Is Within Reach – Success will require the engagement of stakeholders in the process,
clearly communicating goals to address problems while building for sustainability after funding
ends. This will be a challenge as we grapple with the “new normal” and seek to innovate. The
lessons learned during the pandemic and the creativity displayed over the past 18 months show
that the changes needed to address these problems are within reach.
10
American Rescue Plan Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund
(ARP ESSERF) Application Technical Assistance Meeting
May – July 2021
Presentation Outline
Each county school system will present their ARP ESSERF plan before a WVDE Leadership Team who
will provide critical feedback and technical assistance related to best practices and grant allowability
prior to the county’s submission of the final ARP ESSERF application in the Grants & Planning System
(GPS). The oral presentation, accompanied by a PowerPoint or handout, should be delivered within
a 30-minute timeframe. Digital presentation documents may be edited as needed and must be
uploaded in the Shared Related Document section of the GPS ARP ESSERF application.
The oral presentation and digital document must include:
1. Stakeholder Input to the County’s ARP ESSERF Plan
a) Internal planning team
b) External stakeholder engagement
c) Public comment procedure – Section 2001(i)(1) of the ARP Act requires each LEA to make plans
publicly available on the LEA’s website, not later than 30 days after receiving ARP ESSERF
grants.
2. Needs Assessment
a) Data to support the need for Learning Recovery & Innovation
ii) Student needs (academic and social/emotional)
(1) Identify student subgroups most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., students
with disabilities, English learners, students from low-income families, students of color,
students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, etc.)
iii) Staff needs (recruitment, professional learning and social/emotional)
d) Data to support the need for Health and Safety related to COVID-19
e) Data to support the need for Infrastructure (technology & construction)
3. Description of Plan for Using ARP ESSERF
a) Describe activities to address learning loss, summer enrichment and afterschool programs
(include approximate funding amounts)
ii) Describe how you will monitor for progress
iii) Describe how/if you will sustain the activity after 2024
d) Describe activities to address other identified needs (include approximate funding amounts)
v) Describe how you will monitor for progress
vi) Describe how/if you will sustain the activity after 2024
4. Connection of the ARP ESSERF Plan to the County Strategic Plan and recommendations resulting
from a WVDE Office of Support and Accountability review (if applicable)
11
American Rescue Plan Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund
(ARP ESSERF) Plan Presentation Checklist
1. Planning Team Yes No
Planning Team Collaboration: Feedback from various stakeholders were involved in the
needs assessment and proposal (meaningful consultation with students; families; school
and district administrators; community partners; and teachers, principals, school leaders,
other school staff)
Clear procedure for conducting the public comment period regarding feedback on the
county’s ARP ESSERF Plan.
2. Needs Assessment Yes No
A variety of data sources (which includes data associated with staff and student needs,
health & safety, and infrastructure, not just GSA/benchmark data) were used to complete
the needs assessment.
Data on sub group performance was analyzed. Relevant data is compared to the county’s
most recent Balanced Scorecard.
Root cause analysis (justification & rationale) is clearly made. The county refers to how it
addressed the Covid-19 Pandemic and continuity of services to students and families.
3. Plan Yes No
Intended activities and district supports to address learning loss are clearly explained.
Intended activities and district supports to address evidence-based summer enrichment
programs are clearly explained.
Intended activities and district supports to address evidence-based afterschool programs
is clearly explained.
Prioritized needs are identified to connect to the county’s upcoming strategic plan.
Specific (relevant) progress monitoring methods for learning supports, learning activities,
and other priority activities associated with the ARP ESSERF plan are evident.
The county describes how/if it will sustain identified activities after 2024.
Proposal meets all parameters and intended focus of the ARP ESSERF requirements.
» Learning Recovery & Innovation (student & staff needs)
» Health & Safety (related to Covid-19)
» Infrastructure (technology & construction)
Notes/Comments:
Presented Activities that are Not Allowable:
12
American Rescue Plan Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund
(ARP ESSERF) Public Comment Process
Legislative Requirement for Public Engagement
Section 2001(i)(1) of the ARP Act requires each local education agency (LEA) that receives ARP ESSER
funds to develop and make publicly available on the LEA’s website, not later than 30 days after
receiving ARP ESSER funds, a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of
services for all schools, including those that have already returned to in-person instruction.
Section 2001(i)(2) of the ARP Act further requires that the LEA seek public comment on the plan and
take those comments into account in the development of the plan.
West Virginia Implementation of Public Engagement Requirement
The WVDE, in its own ARP ESSERF application to the U.S. Department of Education, explains the
circumstances of the Governor’s COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency and the resulting rules that
have been applied to LEAs statewide. Through the Governor’s Emergency Powers, the Roadmap to
Recovery (wvde.us) was adopted as the statewide plan for the safe return to in-person instruction. This
document has been revised as needed throughout the pandemic and is currently being updated to
reflect the latest Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Guidance for Schools to govern summer school
programs and the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
To meet the requirement of Section 2001(i)(1) of the ARP Act, the revised Roadmap to Recovery
(wvde.us) document will be provided to each county school system on June 9, 2021. Counties will need
to augment the state Roadmap document, as deemed necessary by the county, with any specific
county information. The county specific Roadmap document and the county ARP ESSERF application
presentation document (PowerPoint or handout) must be posted on the county website for public
comment for at least 10 business days. Comments received must be entered in a comment log
document and that document must be uploaded in the LEA’s ARP ESSERF application in the Grants
and Planning System (GPS). An optional Comment Log template will be available in GPS in the Shared
Related Documents section of the ARP ESSERF application.
13
Application for the Use of ESSER Funds
for Construction-Related Activities
to Prevent, Prepare For, or Respond to COVID-19
1. County name:
2. Funding source proposed for this application (ESSER, ESSER II, or ARP ESSER):
3. Location (school or facility name) of proposed project:
4. Estimated project cost: $
5. Project description:
6. How will this proposed project help your county prevent, prepare for, or respond to COVID-19?
7. Has the county completed an environmental impact assessment of the proposed project and
fully considered any potential environmental ramifications before proceeding with the project
(34 CFR §75.601)? If yes, describe the environmental impact this project will have. If no, will an
environmental impact assessment be completed before the project is started or is the proposed
project of the nature that an environmental assessment is not needed?
8. Is the proposed project related to a district, site, building, or structure that is included or eligible
for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (34 CFR §75.602)? If yes, what is the
probable effect of the proposed construction on the building?
9. Does the county have title or other interest in the site, including right of access, that is sufficient to
ensure that the county will have use and possession of the facility for 50 years or the useful life of
the facility, whichever is longer (34 CFR §75.603)?
Yes No
10. What is the anticipated time period to begin the proposed project? Will the final project plans be
approved before the construction is advertised or placed on the marked for bidding?
(34 CFR §75.607)
11. Provide the anticipated project completion timeline that demonstrates the project can be
completed within a reasonable time period, consistent with the approved plans and specifications
(34 CFR §75.606).
12. Is the construction functional, economical, and not elaborate in design or extravagant in the use
of materials as compared to other facilities in the State or other applicable geographical areas (34
CFR §75.607)?
Yes No
13. Do the county’s plans and designs for the facilities comply with applicable Federal, State and local
health and safety standards, as well as Federal requirements regarding access by persons with
disabilities (34 CFR §75.609 and §75.610)?
Yes No
14. Does the county have sufficient operational funds to operate and maintain the facility once the
construction is complete and will the county operate and maintain the facility in accordance with
all applicable Federal, State, and local requirements (34 CFR §75.614 and §75.615)?
Yes No
15. What is the county’s plan to maintain competent architectural/engineering supervision and
inspection at the construction site to insure that the work conforms to the approved drawings and
specifications (34 CFR §75.612)?
By signing this application, we understand that this project is subject to all applicable federal
requirements, including but not limited to, Uniform Grant Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), Davis-Bacon
Prevailing Wage requirements, and US Department of Education construction regulations (34 CFR
§76.600 and §75.600-75.618).
County Treasurer Date
County Superintendent Date
WVDE Internal Use Only
Project recommended for Approval Yes No
Federal Programs Officer Date
State Superintendent of Schools Date
View Burden Statement ASSURANCES - CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS OMB Number: 4040-0009
Expiration Date: 02/28/2022
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for
reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0042), Washington, DC 20503.
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT
AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.
NOTE: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the
Awarding Agency. Further, certain Federal assistance awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional
assurances. If such is the case, you will be notified.
As the duly authorized representative of the applicant:, I certify that the applicant:
1. Has the legal authority to apply for Federal assistance, 8. Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act
and the institutional, managerial and financial capability of 1970 (42 U.S.C. §§4728-4763) relating to prescribed
(including funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share standards of merit systems for programs funded
of project costs) to ensure proper planning, under one of the 19 statutes or regulations specified in
management and completion of project described in Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit System of
this application. Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R. 900, Subpart F).
2. Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General 9. Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning
of the United States and, if appropriate, the State, Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. §§4801 et seq.) which
the right to examine all records, books, papers, or prohibits the use of lead-based paint in construction or
documents related to the assistance; and will establish rehabilitation of residence structures.
a proper accounting system in accordance with
generally accepted accounting standards or agency 10. Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to non-
directives. discrimination. These include but are not limited to: (a)
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352)
3. Will not dispose of, modify the use of, or change the which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race,
terms of the real property title or other interest in the color or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education
site and facilities without permission and instructions Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. §§1681
from the awarding agency. Will record the Federal 1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination
awarding agency directives and will include a covenant on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the
in the title of real property acquired in whole or in part Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29) U.S.C.
with Federal assistance funds to assure non- §794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of
discrimination during the useful life of the project. handicaps; (d) the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as
4. Will comply with the requirements of the assistance amended (42 U.S.C. §§6101-6107), which prohibits
awarding agency with regard to the drafting, review and discrimination on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse
approval of construction plans and specifications. Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as
amended relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of
5. Will provide and maintain competent and adequate drug abuse; (f) the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and
engineering supervision at the construction site to Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation
ensure that the complete work conforms with the Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to
approved plans and specifications and will furnish nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or
progressive reports and such other information as may be alcoholism; (g) §§523 and 527 of the Public Health
required by the assistance awarding agency or State. Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. §§290 dd-3 and 290 ee
3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol
6. Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the
time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency. Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. §§3601 et seq.), as
amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale,
7. Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from rental or financing of housing; (i) any other
using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statue(s)
presents the appearance of personal or organizational under which application for Federal assistance is being
conflict of interest, or personal gain. made; and (j) the requirements of any other
nondiscrimination statue(s) which may apply to the
application.
Previous Edition Usable Authorized for Local Reproduction Standard Form 424D (Rev. 7-97)
Prescribed by OMB Circular A-102
11. Will comply, or has already complied, with the Federal actions to State (Clean Air) implementation
requirements of Titles II and III of the Uniform Relocation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act of
Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. §§7401 et seq.); (g)
1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provide for fair and equitable protection of underground sources of drinking water
treatment of persons displaced or whose property is under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as
acquired as a result of Federal and federally-assisted amended (P.L. 93-523); and, (h) protection of
programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real endangered species under the Endangered Species
property acquired for project purposes regardless of Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93-205).
Federal participation in purchases.
16. Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of
12. Will comply with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. 1968 (16 U.S.C. §§1271 et seq.) related to protecting
§§1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political components or potential components of the national
activities of employees whose principal employment wild and scenic rivers system.
activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.
17. Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance
13. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis- with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. §§276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. §470), EO 11593
(40 U.S.C. §276c and 18 U.S.C. §874), and the Contract (identification and protection of historic properties), and
Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. §§327- the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of
333) regarding labor standards for federally-assisted 1974 (16 U.S.C. §§469a-1 et seq).
construction subagreements.
18. Will cause to be performed the required financial and
14. Will comply with flood insurance purchase requirements of compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit
Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133,
(P.L. 93-234) which requires recipients in a special flood "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase Organizations."
flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction
and acquisition is $10,000 or more. 19. Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other
Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies
15. Will comply with environmental standards which may be governing this program.
prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of
environmental quality control measures under the National 20. Will comply with the requirements of Section 106(g) of
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91- the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as
190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification amended (22 U.S.C. 7104) which prohibits grant award
of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) recipients or a sub-recipient from (1) Engaging in severe
protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) forms of trafficking in persons during the period of time
evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance that the award is in effect (2) Procuring a commercial
with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency sex act during the period of time that the award is in
with the approved State management program effect or (3) Using forced labor in the performance of the
developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act of award or subawards under the award.
1972 (16 U.S.C. §§1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of
SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICIAL TITLE
APPLICANT ORGANIZATION DATE SUBMITTED
SF-424D (Rev. 7-97) Back
Appendix E: Reporting Language Included in the Grant Award Notification
(“GAN”)
As described in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”), the SEA will comply with, and ensure
that its LEAs comply with, all reporting requirements at such time and in such manner and
containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including on matters such
as:
• How the State is developing strategies and implementing public health protocols
including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies and plans in line with the CDC
guidance related to mitigating COVID-19 in schools;
• Overall plans and policies related to State support for return to in-person instruction and
maximizing in-person instruction time, including how funds will support a return to and
maximize in-person instruction time, and advance equity and inclusivity in participation
in in-person instruction;
• Data on each school’s mode of instruction (fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote) and
conditions;
• SEA and LEA uses of funds to meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs,
including through summer enrichment programming and other evidence-based
interventions, and how they advance equity for underserved students;
• SEA and LEA uses of funds to sustain and support access to early childhood education
programs;
• Impacts and outcomes (disaggregated by student subgroup) through use of ARP ESSER
funding (e.g., quantitative and qualitative results of ARP ESSER funding, including on
personnel, student learning, and budgeting at the school and district level);
• Student data (disaggregated by student subgroup) related to how the COVID-19
pandemic has affected instruction and learning;
• Requirements under the Federal Financial Accountability Transparency Act (“FFATA”);
and
• Additional reporting requirements as may be necessary to ensure accountability and
transparency of ARP ESSER funds.
45
Appendix F: Assurances
By signing this document, the SEA assures all of the following:
• The SEA will conduct all its operations so that no person shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under the ARP
ESSER program or activity based on race, color, national origin, which includes a
person’s limited English proficiency or English learner status and a person’s actual or
perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; sex; age; or disability. These non-
discrimination obligations arise under Federal civil rights laws, including but not limited
to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of
1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of
1975. In addition, the SEA must comply with all regulations, guidelines, and standards
issued by the Department under any of these statutes;
• The SEA will comply with all ARP Act and other ARP ESSER requirements and all
requirements of its Grant Award Notification, including but not limited to:
o Complying with the maintenance of effort provision in section 2004(a)(1) of the
ARP Act, absent a waiver by the Secretary pursuant to section 2004(a)(2) of the
ARP Act; and
o Complying with the maintenance of equity provisions in section 2004(b) of the
ARP Act, and ensuring its LEAs comply with the maintenance of equity provision
in section 2004(c) of the ARP Act (please note that the Department will provide
additional guidance on maintenance of equity shortly);
• The SEA will allocate ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner
and, to the extent practicable, not later than 60 days after the SEA receives ARP ESSER
funds (i.e., 60 days from the date the SEA receives each portion of its ARP ESSER
funds). An SEA that is not able to allocate such funds within 60 days because it is not
practicable (e.g., because of pre-existing State board approval requirements) will provide
an explanation to the Department within 30 days of receiving each portion of its ARP
ESSER funds (submitted via email to your Program Officer at [State].OESE@ed.gov
(e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov)), including a description of specific actions the SEA is
taking to provide ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner and the
SEA’s expected timeline for doing so;
• The SEA will implement evidence-based interventions as required under section 2001(f)
of the ARP Act and ensure its LEAs implement evidence-based interventions, as required
by section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act;
• The SEA will address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
underserved students (i.e., students from low-income families, students from racial or
ethnic groups (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by
race or ethnicity), gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender), English learners, children with disabilities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students), as
required under section 2001(f) of the ARP Act, and ensure its LEAs address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students (i.e.,
students from low-income families, students from racial or ethnic groups, gender, English
learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children and
46
youth in foster care, and migratory students), as required by section 2001(e)(1) of the
ARP Act; and
• The SEA will provide to the Department: (1) the URL(s) where the public can readily
find data on school operating status and (2) the URL(s) for the SEA and/or LEA websites
where the public can find the LEA plans for a) the safe return to in-person instruction and
continuity of services required under section 2001(i) of the ARP Act, and b) use of ARP
ESSER funds. SEAs should consider ensuring a standardized URL format in all cases
(e.g., xxx.gov/COVIDplan).
47
Appendix G
OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 06/30/2023)
NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS
The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you needs. This provision allows applicants
about a new provision in the Department of discretion in developing the required
Educations General Education Provisions description. The statute highlights six types
Act ("GEPA") that applies to applicants for of barriers that can impede equitable access
new grant awards under Department or participation: gender, race, national origin,
programs. This provision is Section 427 of color, disability, or age. Based on local
GEPA, enacted as part of the Improving circumstances, you should determine
America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law whether these or other barriers may prevent
(P.L.) 103-382). your students, teachers, etc. from such access
to, or participation in, the Federally-funded
To Whom Does This Provision Apply? project or activity. The description in your
application of steps to be taken to overcome
Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for
these barriers need not be lengthy; you may
new grant awards under this program. ALL
provide a clear and succinct description of
APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS
how you plan to address those barriers that
MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN
are applicable to your circumstances. In
THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS
addition, the information may be provided in
THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO
a single narrative, or, if appropriate, may be
RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS
discussed in connection with related topics in
PROGRAM.
the application.
(If this program is a State-formula grant
Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the
program, a State needs to provide this
requirements of civil rights statutes, but
description only for projects or activities that
rather to ensure that, in designing their
it carries out with funds reserved for State-
projects, applicants for Federal funds address
level uses. In addition, local school districts
equity concerns that may affect the ability of
or other eligible applicants that apply to the
certain potential beneficiaries to fully
State for funding need to provide this
participate in the project and to achieve high
description in their applications to the State
standards. Consistent with program
for funding. The State would be responsible
requirements and its approved application, an
for ensuring that the school district or other
applicant may use the Federal funds awarded
local entity has submitted a sufficient section
to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.
427 statement as described below.)
What are Examples of How an Applicant
What Does This Provision Require?
Might Satisfy the Requirement of This
Section 427 requires each applicant for funds Provision?
(other than an individual person) to include in
The following examples may help illustrate
its application a description of the steps the
how an applicant may comply with Section
applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable
427.
access to, and participation in, its Federally-
assisted program for students, teachers, and
other program beneficiaries with special
48
(1) An applicant that proposes to carry intends to conduct "outreach" efforts to
out an adult literacy project serving, girls, to encourage their enrollment.
among others, adults with limited English
proficiency, might describe in its (4) An applicant that proposes a project to
application how it intends to distribute a increase school safety might describe the
brochure about the proposed project to special efforts it will take to address
such potential participants in their native concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
language. transgender students, and efforts to reach
out to and involve the families of LGBT
(2) An applicant that proposes to develop students.
instructional materials for classroom use
might describe how it will make the We recognize that many applicants may
materials available on audio tape or in already be implementing effective steps to
braille for students who are blind. ensure equity of access and participation in
their grant programs, and we appreciate your
(3) An applicant that proposes to carry cooperation in responding to the
out a model science program for requirements of this provision.
secondary students and is concerned that
girls may be less likely than boys to enroll
in the course, might indicate how it
49
Section 427 of GEPA
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) adheres to Section 427 of the General
Education Provisions Act (GEPA) and will ensure, to the fullest extent possible, equitable access
to, participation in, and appropriate educational opportunities for all individuals served by the
programs included in its Consolidated Plan for Elementary and Secondary Education. Federally
funded activities, programs, and services provided through the programs included in this plan
will be accessible to all teachers, students, and program beneficiaries regardless of their
gender, race, color, national origin, religion, age, or disability.
The WVDE will fully enforce all federal and state regulations designed to ensure equitable
access to all program beneficiaries and to overcome barriers to equitable participation in all
state level activities supported by federal assistance associated with this Consolidated Plan.
The WVDE will hold LEAs accountable for assuring equal access and providing reasonable and
appropriate accommodations to meet the needs of a diverse group of students, staff,
community members, and other participants.
Steps taken to ensure equitable access may include, but not be limited to:
• The WVDE provides reasonable accommodations for student state assessments based
on disability and native language.
• The WVDE assures that all state communications, including print and electronic media,
are compliant with applicable ADA requirements.
• The WVDE adheres to the requirement that schools provide a free appropriate public
education (FAPE) to all school aged children who are individuals with disabilities as
defined by section 504 and IDEA or who are English learners.
• The WVDE considers cultural relevance and the ability of the intended audience to
meaningfully understand information when it develops, acquires, approves and/or
disseminates instructional materials; reasonable efforts are taken to overcome any
barriers.
• The WVDE includes school culture and climate, as well as student health and safety
issues in its statewide strategic plans and LEA strategic planning guidance.
• The WVDE has developed, adopted or identified a variety of strategies, activities,
programs and evidence based practices that are made available to LEAs and schools for
adoption. The WVDE provides professional development, coaching and technical
assistance to LEAs and schools to assist them in implementation of these practices with
fidelity.
• The WVDE implements an electronic grants management system that includes a
requirement for each LEA to provide assurances that they do not discriminate against
any person on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin, religion, age or disability.
• The WVDE enforces these requirements through supportive training and technical
assistance as well as monitoring and complaint resolution.
50
Estimated Burden Statement for GEPA Requirements
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain
benefit (Public Law 103-382). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or
email ICDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number 1894-0005.
51
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