The American Rescue Plan Act was authorized to provide states with funding to support the nation's schools in safely reopening and sustaining safe operations while meeting the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Money allocated through this Act is called the Elementary and Secondary School Relief Fund (ESSER, distributed in three rounds).
Rockland Public Schools has used constituent feedback to develop the following plan for use of the funds:
The majority of allocated funds will go to teaching and learning support, particularly focused on students' academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs in returning from the pandemic closure. This includes salaries for teachers, paraprofessionals, and assistants, as well as professional development, substitute teachers and classroom supplies. The funding will sustain additional assistance and support for high needs populations, and it may be used to provide summer programming in 2022 to continue our efforts to maintain and accelerate learning for these populations.
The remaining funds are allocated to improving district preparedness and response to COVID-19, including administration, testing and vaccination programs, and the supplies needed to support these efforts.