The purpose of this webpage is to provide school districts and pre-kindergarten to 12th grade (PK-12) schools with information and guidance related to the state’s emergency relief packages:
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act;
- Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021; and
- American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2022.
ARP Act for PK-12 Schools
The ARP Act contains several provisions:
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ESSER III or ARP ESSER) Fund
- ARP Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Program
- Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools II (EANS II or ARP EANS) Program
- ARP Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Fund
ESSER III (or ARP ESSER) Fund
Learning Beyond the Bell Grant
ESSER III Guidance (4-12-21) - Summarizes the ESSER III provision of the ARP Act and its related requirements.
April 13 Webinar - Information on the ARP Act's ESSER Fund III guidance and includes answers to questions about funding allocations to districts, allowable uses of funds, coding, and reporting. PowerPoint from April 13 webinar.
ESSER III Allocations (4-12-21)
ESSER III Plans
ESSER III State and Local Plan Requirements Guidance (5-19-21) - Summarizes the state and local plan requirements to receive the last third of ESSER III funds. Additional information on the district-level requirements is available in the following documents: Part I of the ESSER III District Plan and Part II of the ESSER III District Plan.
May 20 Webinar - Discussion of new guidance regarding state and local district plans required by the U.S. Department of Education’s new interim final requirements and steps that must be completed to receive the remaining third of funds provided through the ESSER III Fund.
ESSER III State Plan (7-15-21) - Provides Iowa's state plan for its use of ESSER III funds and includes Iowa's mode of instruction data (see Appendix A).
ESSER III District Plans - Links to the state's approved ESSER III district plans.
Evidence-Based Interventions to Accelerate Learning/Address Learning Loss
ESSER III and Evidence-Based Interventions (7-23-21) - Provides guidance on the ESSER III evidence-based requirements for school districts.
- Reviewed Evidence-Based Practices and Critical Learning Concepts (8-11-21) - Lists reviewed evidence-based practices or programs (EBPs) and critical learning concepts (CLCs) that meet the ESSER III evidence-based requirements.
- Reviewed List of Nationally Peer-Reviewed Clearinghouses of Evidence-Based Interventions (8-11-21) - Provides a source of clearinghouses that met the Department’s established criteria for EBPs that address unfinished learning and respond to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs. For the details of the review process, see the Evidence-Based Practice Clearinghouse Review Process.
Aug. 17 Webinar - Information on EBPs to assist school districts in submitting their ESSER III Fund plan and in implementing the plan through fall 2024.
July 29 Webinar - Information for districts and schools to understand and appropriately implement the ESSER III evidence-based intervention requirements related to addressing unfinished learning. PowerPoint from July 29 webinar.
Maintenance of Equity (MoEquity)
MoEquity Data Submissions - District- and school-level data and description of how the Department will address district noncompliance with the MOEquity requirements.
- February 2023 Maintenance of Equity (MoEquity) Data
- November 2022 Maintenance of Equity (MoEquity) Data
- July 2022 Maintenance of Equity (MOEquity) Data
- July 2021 Maintenance of Equity (MOEquity) Data
District Maintenance of Equity Requirements (11-1-22) - Provides maintenance of equity requirements for districts.
Oct. 22 Webinar - Information on district maintenance of equity (MOEquity) requirements under the ESSER III Fund. PowerPoint from October 22 webinar.
ARP-HCY Program
ARP Homeless Children and Youth Program Guidance (12-1-21) - Provides districts with initial guidance regarding the ARP-HCY program, its awards, allowable uses, and consortia requirements.
ARP Homeless I Allocations (9-15-21) - Provides allocations for the first round of ARP-HCY funding (25%), which were awarded on a competitive basis, as required by the ARP Act, to the state’s existing subgrantees.
ARP Homeless II Allocations (4-21-22) - Provides allocations for the remainder of the state's ARP-HCY allocation. Funds are distributed on a formula basis, as required by the final requirements, to all districts.
EANS II Program
Approved EANS II Nonpublic School Eligibility Criteria (4-6-22) - Provides the approved eligibility criteria from which allocations were made.
EANS II Allocations (6-15-23) - Provides allocations for the second round of EANS funding.
Back to topCRRSA Act for PK-12 Schools
The CRRSA Act contains several provisions:
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) Fund
- Governor’s Emergency Education Relief II (GEER II) Fund
- Competitive Subgrants for Mental Health Supports for Public PK-12 Schools
- Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS I) Program
CARES/CRRSA Funding (1-19-21)- Provides a summary of all funds districts received, and nonpublic schools received in equitable services, during COVID-19.
GEER II Fund
GEER II Guidance (4-15-21) - Provides a preliminary summary of the discretionary portion of GEER II, which will be awarded as competitive grants to public PK-12 districts and institutions of higher education.
Competitive Grants for Mental Health Supports for Public PK-12 Schools
GEER II - Mental Health Supports for Public PK-12 Schools Grant Awards (12-22-21) - Provides the awarded school districts' allocations to provide mental health supports to students, including coordination and delivery of mental health services and wraparound support to students, youth mental health first aid training and implementation, and suicide prevention services and programming.
EANS I Program
Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools (4-15-21) - Provides information regarding the EANS program, which allows eligible nonpublic schools to apply directly for services and assistance related to educational disruptions caused by COVID-19 instead of receiving equitable services from the district.
EANS Allocations (2-24-23) - Provides participating nonpublic buildings with the final allocation amount available for assistance and services.
ESSER II Fund
ESSER II Guidance: Use of Funds and Expenditures (3-8-21) - Provides districts with examples of allowable uses of ESSER II funds. While the focus of this document is on ESSER II, most requirements also apply to ESSER I.
ESSER II Guidance (1-11-21) - Provides a preliminary summary of the CRRSA Act's ESSER Fund II and its requirements.
ESSER Fund II Allocations - Provides districts with the amounts they can expect to receive in supplemental ESSER relief. Please note that nonpublic schools are not eligible for services under this program but, instead, are eligible under the EANS program.
Back to topCARES Act for PK-12 Schools
The CARES Act contains several provisions:
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER I) Fund
- Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER I) Fund
CARES/CRRSA Funding (2-15-21) - Provides a summary of all funds districts received, and nonpublic schools received in equitable services, during COVID-19.
ESSER I Fund
CARES Act Guidance: ESSER Distribution and ESEA Waivers* (5-5-20) - Addresses district allocations and the application for emergency relief funds, district reporting and accounting requirements and waivers of current requirements under ESEA for the 2019-2020 school year.
May 5 Webinar - Information on guidance regarding the distribution process of emergency relief funding provided in the ESSER within the CARES Act. PowerPoint from May 5 webinar
CARES Act ESSER Fund Allocations and Equitable Shares - Federal - Provides both the total district allocation and the amount of the allocation that is reserved for districts to provide equitable services to the participating nonpublic’s students, teachers, and families.
ESSER Risk Assessment and Subrecipient Monitoring Plan
CARES Act ESSER Fund Allocations - State - Provides both the allocations for districts and the allocations for services to the participating nonpublic’s students, teachers, and families.
CARES Act Summary for K-12 Schools* (4-10-20) - Provides a preliminary summary of the provisions in the CARES Act that specifically relate to kindergarten through 12th grade schools across the country.
April 14 Webinar - Information on provisions of the CARES Act specifically relating to K-12 schools. PowerPoint from April 14 webinar.
GEER I Fund
CARES Act GEER Fund Allocations - Provides both the allocations for districts and the allocations for services to the participating nonpublic’s students, teachers and families.
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