ESSER III General Information

ESSER III Allowable Uses

What are the allowable uses for the funding?

The federal statute clearly spells out the 15 allowable uses of ESSER III dollars as follows:

1. Any activity authorized under ESEA, IDEA, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, or the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006

2. Coordination of preparedness/response efforts of LEA with State and local health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus

3. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth

4. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs

5. Training and professional development for school staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases

6. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean school facilities

7. Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, how to provide guidance for carrying out requirements under IDEA, how to ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements

8. Purchasing educational technology (hardware, software, and connectivity) for students that aids in regular/substantive educational interaction between students and instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment

9. Providing mental health services and supports, including through implementation of evidence based full-service community schools

10. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and/or supplemental afterschool programs, both of which may include providing classroom instruction or online learning and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care

11. Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care, including administering and using high-quality assessments, implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students, providing information and assistance to parents & families on effectively supporting students, and tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education

12. School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs

13. Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement

14. Developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from CDC for the reopening and operation of school facilities

15. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in the LEA, including continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA to the greatest extent practicable

**Districts must expend a minimum of 20% of their ESSER III funds on evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning, extended day comprehensive after-school programs, or extended school year programs. Schools must ensure interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs and address disproportionate impact of coronavirus on Title I students, students experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.