ARP ESSER Plan

Springfield Local Schools ARP ESSER Plan: Stakeholder Engagement and Feedback Opportunities

ARP ESSER image

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP” or “the Act”) was signed into law by President Biden. This $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package was designed to facilitate the United States’ recovery from the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Act sets aside $122 billion in block grants to State educational agencies and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students. These funds will be provided to schools via the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Relief (“ARP ESSER”) Fund, under section 2001 of the Act.

Springfield Local Schools will receive a total of $4,007,612.63 in ARP ESSER funding.  The funding will come in 2 installments. 

Section 2001 of the Act seeks to promote accountability, transparency and the effective use of the funds by requiring schools to do the following:

  1. Ensure that each local educational agency (‘‘LEA’’) develops a plan for the use of its ARP ESSER funds; and
  2. Engage in meaningful consultation and seeks public input as it develops the LEA ARP ESSER plan.

Under this requirement, an LEA must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders and give the public an opportunity to provide input in the development of its plan. Specifically, an LEA must engage in meaningful consultation with students; families; school and district administrators (including special education administrators); and teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their unions.

 

Additionally, an LEA must engage in meaningful consultation with each of the following, to the extent present in or served by the LEA: Tribes; civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.
 
The Springfield Local School District has posted its plan below. This web page also describes the extent to which the District’s plan includes, or can be modified to include policies and strategies to address:
  • Retention of teachers to provide continuity of services for students;
  • Universal and correct wearing of masks as determined through data collection;
  • Use of data to determine use of masks in the schools;
  • Physical distancing (e.g., including use of cohorts/podding/blocking classes, etc.);
  • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette;
  • Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities;
  • Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the state, local, territorial or tribal health departments;
  • Diagnostic and screening testing;
  • Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff and students, if eligible; and
  • Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to the health and safety policies.
The District proposes to expend its funds over the next 1-2 school years.
 
The District encourages interested stakeholders to provide input and feedback on any part of the plan by sending an email to the following email address: sp_meadows@springfieldspartans.org
 
 
Please remember to include pertinent contact information (phone number, address, etc.) in the email so that the District can contact you if we require additional information or have questions. Thank you!