On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law. In it, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP ESSER Fund). This legislation awards grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for providing local educational agencies (LEAs, i.e., school districts) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
South Carolina has received $2,113,567,527 in ARP ESSER funds from the ARP Act, with 90 percent being awarded to LEAs with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in summer 2020. The remaining funds to South Carolina will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19.
The below plans submitted by South Carolina LEAs and approved by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) describe how the LEA will use funds that are awarded under the ARP ESSER program. All ARP ESSER Fund applications were due to the SCDE by August 24, 2021 and are in the process of being reviewed and approved. Only those plans that have been approved are listed below.
