UP Gazette

Bessemer Area School District issued the following announcement on Nov 5.

https://forms.gle/2uvBzwb5ND2ZHzC87

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the United States Department of Education has released three grants for which local education agencies (K-12) can apply for. These ESSER grants will provide school districts with emergency relief funds to address the impact COVID-19 has had on elementary and secondary schools.

The Bessemer Area School District is seeking feedback from all district and community stakeholders to help determine how the district should best utilize Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER III) to address unfinished learning and ongoing COVID-19 recovery. Please take some time to let us know your opinion by completing the brief survey.

These are the allowable uses of the funds:

• coordinating preparedness and response efforts with State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19;

• training and professional development on sanitizing and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases;

• purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the LEA’s facilities;

• repairing and improving school facilities to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards;

• improving indoor air quality;

• addressing the needs of children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth;

• developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs;

• planning for or implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students and providing technology for online learning;

• purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment) for students that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including students from low-income families and children with disabilities;

• providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of evidence based full-service community schools and the hiring of counselors;

• planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs;

• addressing learning loss; and

• other activities that are necessary to maintain operation of and continuity of and services, including continuing to employ existing or hiring new LEA and school staff

This survey will close on November 15, 2021.

Thank you for your participation!

Original source can be found here.