What is the American Rescue Plan?
On March 11, 2021, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Nearly $9 billion in federal funding has been made available to New York State to support schools in safely reopening and sustaining safe operations while meeting the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Information:
Link to NYSED site.
What are the ESSER Funds?
The ARP ESSER Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, will assist local educational agencies (LEAs), and more directly schools, in supporting students who have been most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are likely to have suffered the most because of longstanding inequities in their communities and schools, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Link to NYSED site.
What does ARP mean for Rhinebeck?
The district has been engaging stakeholders with information about the ARP allocation at Board of Education meetings. Recordings of those presentations are available in the Board of Education section, and also slides below. The presentations took place in March 2021, June 2021, and October 2021.
Members of the various district committees have provided insight into the unique needs of the district as it relates to providing additional support for after school and summer learning, an increase in school counseling staffing, and renovation of spaces to promote social and emotional wellbeing.