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# U.S. Department of Education Approves Puerto Rico’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $990 Million to Puerto Rico

# U.S. Department of Education Approves Puerto Rico’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $990 Million to Puerto Rico

November 18, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -  	More Resources	Puerto Rico Fact SheetPuerto Rico Fact Sheet (Spanish)en español (Spanish)      
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the  approval of Puerto Rico’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School  Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to  them. Puerto Rico’s plan details how they are using and plan 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 students and states return to school, the Department released the Return  To School Roadmap, which provides key resources  and supports for students, parents, educators, and school communities to build  excitement around returning to classrooms this school year and outlines how  federal funding can support the safe and sustained return to in-person  learning. ARP funds can be used to support the Roadmap’s efforts.

Earlier this year, the Department distributed two-thirds of the  ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to state education agencies. The  remaining third of the funding will be made available once state plans are  approved. Puerto Rico is receiving nearly $3 billion total in ARP ESSER funds,  and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release of the final $990  million. Today’s approval means a total of 47 ARP ESSER state plans have been  approved since June.

“I am excited to announce approval of Puerto Rico’s plan,” said  U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is heartening to see, reflected  in these plans, the ways in which educators 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 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.”

“For the past five years, Puerto Rico’s educational system has  been affected by natural disasters and, like the entire nation, by the COVID-19  pandemic,” said Designated Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Education  Eliezer Ramos Pàres. “These issues have led us to rethink what we do every day and  develop a new education model that innovates to truly support all of our  students. The unique opportunity that these funds present promises to empower  school directors, teachers, parents, and, most importantly, students. We are  doing strategic investments that will have long-term benefits for our students  and education communities.”

The ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department, including  Puerto Rico’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:  In collaboration with the Puerto Rico Department of       Health (PRDH), the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) has       conducted three vaccination campaigns designed to increase vaccine       awareness and trust. Vaccination is mandatory for educators and staff in       public schools. As of September 2021, more than 96% of school personnel       was vaccinated, more than 75% of students ages 12 through 15 years were       vaccinated, and more than 85% of students 16 years or older were       vaccinated. Furthermore, in September 2021, a collaboration agreement was       formalized between PRDE, the Puerto Rico Department of Health, and VocesPR       to promote the vaccination of students 12 years or older, through the       initiative Vacu Tour Back to School. Additionally, the PRDH developed a       vaccination plan to provide the vaccination through phases. Phase I       included the pediatricians, hospitals, and pharmacies achieving the       vaccination of more than 20,000 children. Phase II starts later this fall       and is called the Vacu Tour Kids. Vaccination clinics will be coordinated       between the PRDH authorized providers and school directors.
- Addressing       the Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time:  PRDE will use ARP ESSER funds to expand and extend       tutoring services provided by the University of Puerto Rico (UPR),       prioritizing students with disabilities among other groups of students       most impacted by the pandemic. The Professional Development and University       Relationship Institute, in collaboration with UPR, is offering tutoring       services for students from the 3rd and 12th grades. PRDE plans to expand       these services to all students and extend the tutoring program through       2024.
- Supporting       the Educator Workforce:  PRDE has identified multiple shortages in the educator workforce. PRDE       plans to use ARP ESSER funds to further compensate staff as a retention       strategy. These strategies include, but are not limited to, improving       school environments; providing needed academic resources, materials, and       equipment; providing stipends; recruiting necessary school and Regional       Education Office staff who support teachers; providing internships;       offering professional development with credit hours, including specialized       professional development to support teachers; and targeting support       related to accelerated learning.

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 .
- Announced a  new       grant program  to provide additional funding to school districts that       have been financially penalized for implementing strategies to prevent the       spread of COVID-19, such as universal indoor masking. 
- Prioritized the vaccination of educators, school staff,       and childcare 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 agenda will offer universal and free preschool  for all 3- and 4-year-olds, make education beyond high school more  affordable—including offering more trainings and apprenticeships, increasing  the maximum Pell Grants, expanding access to DREAMers, and making historic  investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges  and Universities, and minority-serving institutions, among other provisions. 
   -  Tags: Puerto RicoAmerican Rescue PlanPress Releases
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