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# U.S. Department of Education Approves Mississippi’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $543 Million To State

# U.S. Department of Education Approves Mississippi’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $543 Million To State

December 29, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -  	More Resources	Mississippi Fact Sheet      
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Mississippi’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to the state. Mississippi’s plan details how the state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of December, with the help of American  Rescue Plan funds, nearly all schools are open for full-time, in-person  instruction. The Department recently issued a new resource to state and  local leaders stressing the importance of full-time, safe, in-person learning  and how federal funds can be used to achieve that goal.

Earlier this year, the Department distributed two-thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The remaining third of the funding to states will be made available once state plans are approved. Mississippi is receiving more than $1.6 billion total in ARP ESSER funds, and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release of the final $543 million. Today’s approvals mean a total of 51 ARP ESSER state plans have been approved since June.

“I am excited to announce approval of Mississippi’s plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities. The approval of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to help keep schools open for full-time, in-person learning; meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The state plans that have been submitted to the Department lay the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and build back better.”

“With this unprecedented pandemic and learning loss for students, the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress responded with much needed resources,” said Congressman Bennie G. Thompson. “As the only Mississippi representative to vote for the American Rescue Plan, I am glad to see the Department of Education approve Mississippi’s plan. These resources greatly benefit our communities and will help get us safely back to school in the fall and address learning loss.”

“Mississippi has prioritized in-person learning because it is the most effective way to keep students engaged, accelerate learning and address their social and emotional learning needs,” said Dr. Carey Wright, Mississippi state superintendent of education. “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Education for its significant investment of ESSER funds in Mississippi. These funds will enable our schools to innovate learning and build strong and enduring systems of support to meet the current and future needs of our students.”

The ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department, including Mississippi’s, show how states are using Federal pandemic resources to support safe in-person instruction and meet the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students—with a focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic. For example:
- Safely  Reopening Schools and Sustaining Safe Operations:  The  Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has encouraged districts to consider  how to host vaccination drives on school campuses, in addition to sharing  Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and guidance on safe in-person  instruction with schools and districts in the state. Mississippi schools have  also utilized various strategies to increase vaccination rates in the schools  and communities.
- Addressing the  Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time:  MDE  will use ARP ESSER funds to support high-dosage tutoring, summer learning and  enrichment, and extended day programs through a competitive grant program to  address students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs that the state is developing.
- Supporting  Physical and Mental Health:  MDE has launched a  behavioral telehealth project in response to mental health concerns that may  have been exacerbated by the pandemic, staffed by school staff. MDE is also  using ARP funds for a pilot program to deliver mental and behavioral health  care to children and increase educator knowledge about behavioral management  techniques. Additionally, MDE has awarded funds to put 25 new medical staff  on-site in schools.

The distribution of ARP ESSER funds is part of the Department’s broader effort to support students and districts as they work to reengage students impacted by the pandemic, address inequities exacerbated by COVID-19, and build our education system back better than before. In addition to providing $130 billion for K-12 education in the American Rescue Plan to support the safe reopening of K-12 schools and meet the needs of all students, the Biden-Harris Administration also has:
- Held the  Return To School Road Trip , a bus tour that visited schools across five states in five  days to celebrate the safe return to school.
- Announced  new  mental health resources  to provide information and resources to enhance the  promotion of mental health and the social and emotional well-being among  children and students.
- Launched  the  Return To School Roadmap  to provide key resources and supports for students, parents,  educators, and school communities to build excitement around returning to  classrooms this school year and outline how federal funding can support the  safe and sustained return to in-person learning. 
- Released  three  volumes  of the COVID-19 Handbook.
- Hosted  a  National Safe School Reopening Summit .
- Prioritized  the vaccination of educators, school staff and child care workers.
- Provided  $10 billion in funding for COVID-19 testing for PreK-12 educators, staff, and  students.
- Launched  a series of Equity Summits focused on addressing inequities that existed before, but were made worse by the pandemic.
- Released  a  report  on the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on underserved  communities. 
- Developed  a  Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse  elevating hundreds of  best practices to support schools’ efforts to reopen safely and address the  impacts of COVID-19 on students, educators, and communities. 

In addition to the actions the Biden Administration has taken to reopen schools, the President has proposed critical investments through his Build Back Better Agenda. The Build Back Better legislation will offer universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds and, make education beyond high school more affordable—including offering more trainings and apprenticeships, by increasing the maximum Pell Grant and expanding access to DREAMers. It will also make historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions.
   -  Tags: MississippiAmerican Rescue PlanPress Releases
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