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# U.S. Department of Education Approves Rhode Island’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $138 Million  

# U.S. Department of Education Approves Rhode Island’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $138 Million  

July 15, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -  	More Resources	Rhode Island Fact Sheet      
On Wednesday, July 7, the U.S. Department of Education  (Department) announced the approval of Rhode Island’s American Rescue Plan  Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plans and  distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Rhode Island’s plan details  how the state is using and plan to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and  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.

Earlier this year, the Department distributed  two thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states and the  District of Columbia. The remaining third of the funding to states will be made  available once state plans are approved. Rhode Island is receiving more  than $415 million total in ARP ESSER funds,  and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release  of the final $138 million. Additionally, the Department approved  plans for South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and the  District of Columbia.

“I am excited to announce approval of Rhode  Island’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, particularly as we move  into the summer and look ahead to the upcoming academic year. The approval  of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American  Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely reopen schools 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.”

“In Rhode Island, we convened the Learning,  Equity & Accelerated Pathways (LEAP) Task Force to build a framework to  help students not just recover from the learning disruption of the COVID-19  pandemic, but to leap ahead to academic success,” said Rhode Island Education  Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “Our goal is not remediation but rather  acceleration in education with a focus on ensuring equity across the board.  With input from the communities we serve, leading education experts, and many  other stakeholders, we built a roadmap for strategic, sustainable and impactful  state-wide ESSER investments that will help us get students back to in-person  learning, improve attendance, promote academic achievement and address existing  inequities laid bare by the pandemic. With approval of Rhode Island’s American  Rescue Plan Act ESSER plan, we are on track to make once-in-a-generation  investments that will help us ensure every student has access to high-quality  learning experiences.”

“Our teachers and  administrators did inspiring work to keep students on track during the  pandemic,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. “This award will help schools continue  to tackle the complicated challenges of making sure students, teachers, and  staff are safe and productive.  The delegation fought hard to secure this  federal funding in the American Rescue Plan, and I’m pleased to see it go to  Rhode Island schools.”

The ARP ESSER state plans  approved by the Department today, including Rhode Island, 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:
- Returning to In-Person Learning in 2021:  Rhode Island was able to reopen schools at full       capacity based on CDC guidance the past year, achieved through       continued collaboration, robust testing, layered mitigation, and       flexibility from school leaders, teachers, students, and families. All       Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will be expected to provide full in-person       learning for all students during summer 2021 and for the 2021-2022 school       year.
- Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining Safe       Operations:   The Rhode Island       Department of Education (RIDE) worked directly with the Rhode Island       Department of Health (RIDOH) and local municipalities to establish vaccine       clinics for all educational staff and eligible students. Student vaccine       clinics were held in schools during the 2020-2021 school year and Rhode       Island expects these to continue this summer and fall.
- Supporting Students Most Impacted by the Pandemic:  RIDE expects all LEAs to ensure equity is the guiding       lens for assessing local data and identifying the most pressing student       needs. RIDE has allocated a portion of its state set-aside dollars from       the American Rescue Plan to support the lowest performing schools and       LEAs.
- Staffing       to Support Students’ Mental Health Needs:  RIDE has encouraged allocation       of ARP funds towards human capital and staffing, particularly focused on       expanding capacity to support students’ social-emotional wellness,       including additional social workers or guidance counselors, or       partnerships with community mental health providers.

A total  of 40 states have submitted their ARP ESSER state plans to the  Department. The Department is reviewing the plans expeditiously and is in  contact with states to ensure their plans meet all necessary requirements in  order to access the remaining funds, as outlined in the ARP. The Department is  also in contact with states that have not yet submitted  plans, the vast majority of which are due to state  board of education or legislative review requirements.

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:
- Released three  volumes  of the COVID-19 Handbook. 
- Held a  National Safe School Reopening       Summit .
- Prioritized the vaccination of educators, school staff       and child care workers. As of the end of May, an estimated 84% of teachers       and school staff were fully vaccinated. 
- 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 that will enable schools to rebuild stronger than they were  before the pandemic, such as investing billions to build a diverse educator  workforce, expand access to pre-K to all families, and invest in school  infrastructure, among other provisions. 
   -  Tags: Rhode IslandAmerican Rescue PlanPress Releases
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