On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plans (ARP) Act was signed into law allocating an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP ESSER Fund). South Carolina is set to receive $2,112,051,487 in ARP ESSER funds from this legislation, which will award grants to state educational agencies for providing Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on K-12 schools across the nation.
The ARP Act required all LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds to create and post publicly on their website a Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services plan. In an effort to assist LEAs meet this requirement, the South Carolina Department of Education created a reporting template that complies with all reporting requirements of the ARP Act (Public Law 117-2), the ARP ESSER grant terms, conditions, and assurances (CFDA Number 84.425U), and the interim final rule established by the United States Department of Education, 86 FR 21195.
LEAs are required to review and, as appropriate, revise their Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan at least every six months through September 30, 2023, including seeking public input and taking such input into account in determining whether to revise the plan and, if revisions are determined necessary, on the revisions it makes to its plan.
