DES MOINES, Iowa — The U.S. Department of Education said the approval of the state's ARP ESSER plan allows the remaining $258 million to be distributed to Iowa.
“The ARP ESSER funding is essential to supporting our continued work to accelerate learning and provide social-emotional-behavioral health supports,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo in a press release.
The funds are intended to support safe in-person education across the state. Specifically, the state's education department said the money will go help school districts implement practices to address the impact of lost instructional time.
The money can also be used to expand summer learning options and support social, emotional and mental health.
“I am excited to announce approval of Iowa’s plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
The funding is part of $81 billion that the federal made available to help the state with educational funding related to the pandemic.
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