The Iowa Department of Education has announced a third round of emergency relief for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools aimed at addressing the added costs of operation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa’s share of the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (APR ESSER) fund is nearly $775 million from the $1.9 billion plan. “With Iowa’s schools open for learning, this new round of funding will provide critical support to address current needs and plan for the future,” says Iowa Department of Education Director, Ann Lebo. “Schools can use this funding over the next two and a half years to cover a variety of pandemic-related expenses and strategies. This includes addressing disruptions to teaching and learning, meeting students’ social, emotional, behavioral health needs, providing summer school and other extending learning and enrichment programs, hiring additional personnel to keep schools safe and healthy, supporting educators in the effective use of technology and meeting the connectivity needs of remote learners.” Of this nearly $775 million, 90 percent will be made available to school districts. The remainder will be used for state-level educational efforts to address urgent issues caused by the pandemic. The law requires at least 20 percent of district funds be used to address disruptions to learning through implementation of evidence-based interventions and to respond to the academic and social, emotional, behavioral health needs of students.
