The federal government has issued three rounds of relief funding to states in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The most recent allocation, created by the American Rescue Plan and referred to as ARP ESSER III, is the largest to date with $1.5 billion available to Oklahoma school districts. 

The focus of the ARP ESSER III funding is to assist school districts in safely reopening schools and keeping them open for in-person instruction while addressing disruptions to teaching and learning resulting from the pandemic. 

This aim includes using funds to enact appropriate measures to help schools invest in mitigation strategies consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools to the greatest extent practicable; address the many impacts of COVID-19 on students, including strategies to address interrupted instruction; meet students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs; offer crucial summer, afterschool, and other extended learning and enrichment programs; support early childhood education; invest in staff capacity; and avoid devastating layoffs at this critical moment, ensuring that all students have access to teachers, counselors, and other school personnel to support their needs.